 Similar statues and statuary fragments were discovered in the 20th century, leading scholars to debate the meaning of these works of art and their significance to the Aztec Empire.After the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521, the Spanish invaders ordered the systematic destruction of the city, including Mexica statues and buildings.The Coatlicue statue likely occupied a prominent position in Tenochtitlan, and it most likely survived destruction and is incredibly well-preserved today, because the Mexica people ordered to destroy it instead buried it below the water table in order to save it from destruction.