Mexican archaeologists accidentally found traces of an ancient Mayan city at a construction site near Merida, on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.
Discovering the ancient Maya city at a construction site
The site where the remains of an ancient city were discovered is called Xiol, which is being built into an industrial park. This place has the typical Puuc style of Mayan architecture, with many pyramids, palaces and squares. This type of Puuc architecture is quite common in the southern region of the Yucatan peninsula but is very rare in the area near Merida.
Archaeologist Carlos Peraz, a member of the excavation team, said: “We think that more than 4,000 ancient inhabitants once lived here. They were people from different social classes, such as priests and scribes living in large palaces, and commoners living in smaller residences. It is estimated that the city dates back to between 600 and 900 AD.
A structure discovered at Xiol.
Researchers also found burial areas for adults and children, buried with burial items such as tools, offerings and personal property…
Remains of marine life were also discovered in the area, showing that in addition to food based on agricultural products, people here supplemented fish and seafood through near-shore fishing.
Xiol was discovered after construction of the industrial park began. The owner of this area said that this work is still ongoing, but this archaeological area will be preserved.
Archaeologist Carlos Peraz said that over time, urban areas grew, and many archaeological sites were destroyed. “But we – archaeologists – were very surprised to discover this ancient city and find it still so intact,” he said.
