Archeologists in Mexico City are gently brushing away at what could be a monumental discovery-- the remains of an Aztec emperor's tomb.

Among the ruins- A jaguar offering, found in a large rectangular stone box in what would have been the center of a ritual platform.

It has only been partially excavated- but has stirred excitement among experts who say such a lavish sacrificial offering- would be associated with Aztec rulers and war - AND could signal that something even more important lies below..

Possibly the remains of Ahuitzotl (ahh-wee-zotl)-one of the Aztec's greatest emperors SOUNDBITE (SPANISH) LEAD ARCHEOLOGIST LEONARDO LOPEZ LUJAN, SAYING: "My colleagues who have worked in other parts of Mesoamerica, have found the Zapotec kings' tombs, the Mayan kings' tombs, Mixtec kings' but we have never found the tomb of a Mexica king, also known as Aztec civilization.

We have never found such a royal burial and we have enormous expectations right now.

Other artifacts found in the jaguars box- include shells, starfish, a spear thrower and a wooden disk that was the emeblem of the war god.

Nearby, archaelohists have also found an elaborate set of flint knives - all dating back over 500 years.

Another circular offering box holds an approximately 9-year-old sacrificed boy found with a wooden war god disk and a jade bead necklace.

Like the jaguar, the boy likely had his heart torn out as part of a ritual sacrifice, although archaeologists have not yet confirmed the theory.

The offerings also speak to the geographic reach of the Aztecs... a warrior society that conquered neighboring kingdoms. For example --the starfish relics likely came from the Pacific Ocean while the jade was brought from Central American near present-day Honduras.