The giant trove of 22 gold ornaments was dug up in Mexico City after more than five centuries buried under ground.
But scientists were stunned to discover the treasure was in fact attached to a young wolf.
Held in a stone box, the cache was found in April near the capital city’s bustling main square, the Zocalo.
It’s thought that soon after the eight-month-old wolf was killed, it was dressed with the extravagant treasure as well as a belt of shells from the Atlantic Ocean.
Lead archaeologist Leonardo Lopez also believes the creature’s heart was ripped out of its body during the sacrifice.
It was then placed in a stone box by Aztec priests above a layer of flint knives.
"These are, without a doubt, the largest and most refined pieces of gold discovered so far," Lopez said, referring to the 205 offerings discovered over nearly four decades of excavations around the site, 16 of which have contained some gold.
The golden wolf was buried during the during the reign of King Ahutizotl between 1486-1502.
Widely considered the most feared ruler of Mexico, his reign was particularly brutal and could explain the animal’s fate.
Other offerings from the air, land and sea were also found int he 12-1/2 cubic feet trove.
"What they're doing is they're communicating with those levels of the environment that they live in because they know that they've been given the gift of life," said David Carrasco, a Harvard University historian of religion and Aztec scholar.
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