A team of Mexican archaeologists working in the World Heritage Site of Uxmal have discovered an arch buried under the Governor’s Palace that predates the famous temples and palaces at the site, leading them to believe that the history of the ancient city goes back at least 300 years earlier than they previously thought.
Built in a simpler architectural style with none of the ornate stucco carvings that Uxmal is famous for, the arch dates from between A.D. 670 and 800 and was concealed by the Maya as they built the Governor’s Palace on top of it around A.D. 970.
The practice of burying earlier buildings and erecting new monuments on top of them was common in ancient times and was deemed to channel energy and consolidate the power of rulers. The archaeologists led by Jose Huchim Herrera hope to learn more about the hidden structure by using radar and an electromagnetic resistance mapping technique.
The team also discovered another sacbe or Mayan road linking Uxmal with the smaller city of Kabah. To date, 18 kilometers of the path have been mapped.
In other news, Mayan pottery, 75 burials and the vestiges of ancient plazas and temples have been unearthed on a housing estate on the outskirts of Merida. They are relics of the Mayan capital of T’ho or Ichcaansiho, one of the Yucatan’s earliest cities, dating from 700 B.C.
