Mexico finds the “greatest archaeological treasure” in decades due to works on the Mayan Train

The Mexican Government found “the greatest archaeological treasure” of the last decades during the construction works of the Mayan Trainin the southeast of the country, Diego Prieto Hernández, director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), told EFE this Tuesday.

The solar disk in Chichén Itzá, the sculpture of the corn god in Palenque, the dual stele in Uxmal, the bas-reliefs of a captive taken by the hair of a dignitary in Ek Balam, funerary urns and potsherds are some of the objects found in the five states that the new railroad crosses.

“In Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas we have discovered more than 1.4 million ceramic fragments, more than 50,000 movable and immovable property, such as palaces and structures, constituting the largest archaeological treasure found in recent decades in Mexico”, stated the director of the INAH.

For the official, the important thing is to recover comprehensive information and the possibility of reconstructing social structures and the thought of the Mayans.

“That is why the tomb of Pakal, in Chiapas, may be of so much interest than an arrowhead that speaks of the ancient presence of the culture of this region”he detailed.

New views of Mayan culture

The archaeologist highlighted the discovery of the complexity of urban communication and trade systems that developed in the Mayan area of ​​Mesoamerica, which includes Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

Added to the cultural treasures found on the Mayan Train route is the rediscovery of Ichkabal, “a majestic city of the Mayan nation that will open to the public next August.”

“We are talking about a great collective institutional investigation, with the participation of hundreds of young professionals in archaeology, technologyhistory and other disciplines”, he assured.

When discussing the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza) derived from the Mayan Train, he highlighted that they recovered “valuable information and material for a better knowledge of the future and development of the great Mayan civilization, its eras, cultural regions and artistic and urban expressions.”

INAH experts generated new knowledge, “such as the great population density that was recorded in Mesoamerica, particularly in the north of Chiapas, the Tabasco jungle, the south of Campeche and the Yucatan Peninsula.”

Prieto Hernández stated two pillars of this work of research and recovery of Mayan memory.

“One is archaeological salvage, which has to do with the recovery of materials that provide valuable information and architectural structures, but also movable and immovable property in an area bounded by train rights of way,” he claimed.

Another pillar is Promeza, “in which in a systematic and planned manner we focus on the investigation, conservation, structuring and stabilization of elements in archaeological areas open to the public and those that will be opened soon, such as Ichkabal”, said.

Treasures open to tourism

The Promeza includes actions for a better visitor experience, “with elements of interpretation and understanding of the site, as well as basic services.”

The task of INAH, which turns 85 in 2024, is research, conservation and dissemination.

“We cannot stop with research alone, we must conserve archaeological materials and sites for future generations”, ihe indicated.

Prieto Hernández pointed out that it is important to know that the Mayan civilization has not disappeared, since it is made up of linguistic variants and peoples who have resisted.

The treasures found during the construction of the Mayan Train will be exhibited in the Archaeological Museums of Puuc, Site of Dzibilchaltún and Chichén Itzá, as well as the History of Yucatán, which will open in the coming months.