An ancient human burial, dating back hundreds of years, has been unearthed during the construction of a hotel in southern Mexico.
The body was accompanied by three ceramic vases, a pair of earrings and two green stone beads, suggesting that the individual would have been an important figure within the local community at the time.
The excavation was carried out by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) ahead of the completion of the Mayan Train, a 948-mile intercity railway that began construction in 2020. The hotel, in the state of Chiapas, will sit along the trainline, offering accommodation to tourists who wish to travel along the historical route.
INAH
The pre-Hispanic grave was found 13 feet deep inside a tomblike structure, built out of stone blocks and sealed with limestone slabs. “The individual was placed face up, with his legs extended and his head facing north,” Diego Prieto Hernández, the director-general of the INAH, said in a press conference on Monday morning.
“The excavation carried out in the main mound of the archaeological site […] indicates that the building was built expressly to contain the tomb of a character, which due to the form and dedication of the construction indicates that he was an important person for the community that settled on the site.”
The grave was discovered on September 11 near the site of the ancient city of Palenque. Physical anthropology analysis has already begun on the body to learn more about the ancient individual, including when they would have been alive. The analysis will be led by the academic head of the Palenque Archaeological Zone, Arnoldo González Cruz.
The Maya began to settle across Central America as early as 1500 BC. However, Mayan civilization was at its peak between 250 and 900 AD. Palenque was an ancient Mayan city in southern Mexico that grew to be a powerful capital in around 500 AD.
The city’s ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and continues to offer insights to archaeologists into the lives and beliefs of the Mayans.
Officials hope that the Mayan Train will make this historical site more accessible to visitors. “We are talking with the artisans and tourist guides of Palenque so that they can host their activities in this center, so that the archaeological zones near the Mayan Train route share greater benefits for the communities that live in their surroundings,” Prieto Hernández said.
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