Priceless Aztec treasures on display in London have proved to be one of the most popular exhibitions ever staged in the UK.

More than 100,000 people have visited the exhibition since it opened at the Royal Academy of Arts six weeks ago.

Hundreds of artefacts from the ancient civilisation, some of which have never been seen outside their native Mexico, have been put on display.

These include ritual objects used in human sacrifice, sculptures and a large statue of Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of Death.

There is unlikely to be another collection like this on display in our lifetime Royal Academy spokeswoman

Now opening hours are to be extended to cope with the enormous demand for the exhibition, which took six years to plan.

From 4 January, the Academy will open late until 2200 GMT on Saturdays.

The exhibition is thought to be the most comprehensive study of Aztec culture ever mounted.

It chronicles the ancient civilisation from its origins in 1325 to its demise in 1521 with the arrival of Spanish invaders.

Knives were used to slay sacrificial victims

Ticket sales topped 15,000 before the show opened - the largest number of advance bookings since the Royal Academy's record-breaking Monet exhibition in 1999.

A Royal Academy spokeswoman said: "We were confident that this would be one of our most popular exhibitions and we are delighted with just how popular it has been.

"There is unlikely to be another collection like this on display in our lifetime."

The show runs until 11 April and a proportion of ticket sales go back to the Mexican Heritage Authorities.