1500-yr-old city with pyramids and palaces discovered in Mexico
Initially, the region was discovered in 2018 on a construction site for a future industrial park near Merida on Yucatan's northern coast. Archaeologists then took over the site from the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
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FollowArchaeologists working in Mexico's Yucatan region have discovered the remains of a centuries-old Mayan city, following the local media on Friday.
The Mayan city of Xiol, which means "the spirit of man" in Mayan, is thought to have housed 4,000 people between 600 and 900 CE, during the late classic period.
Initially, the region was discovered in 2018 on a construction site for a future industrial park near Merida on Yucatan's northern coast. Archaeologists then took over the site from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
"The discovery of this Mayan city is significant because of its monumental architecture and because it has been restored despite being located on private land," Arturo Chab Cardenas, delegate for the INAH centre in Yucatan, as per media reports.
The site is notable for its Puuc style architecture, famously used for the Chichen Itza pyramid and is more commonly found in the southern Yucatan region.
The archaeologists also emphasised the site's array of palaces, pyramids, and plazas and evidence of various social classes residing there.
One of the archaeologists leading the excavations, Carlos Peraza, stated, "There were people from various social classes, priests, scribes, who lived in these great palaces, and there were also common people who lived in small buildings."
"Over time, urban sprawl has grown, and many of the archaeological remains have been destroyed, but even we as archaeologists are surprised because we did not expect to find a site so well preserved," Peraza added.
Mauricio Montalvo, one of the landowners where Xiol was discovered, stated, "At first we saw a giant stone and as we excavated enormous buildings began to appear," as per media reports.
"It was incredible, so we informed INAH, and then we realised the need to change our original plans because preserving the Mayan heritage is more important to our company," he said.
According to the researchers, the bodies of 15 adults and children were discovered in nearby burial grounds, along with obsidian from modern-day Guatemala and other belongings.
The researchers also displayed several tools and ceramics dating back to the pre-classic period (700-350 BCE).
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