Archaeologists said on Monday that a 1,000-year-old altar from ancient Mexican Teotihuacan culture was discovered in the Mayan city of Tikal, a former Mayan city in Guatemala, providing further connections between two former Hispanic societies.
In recent years, several artifacts have been discovered in Tikal, the largest archaeological site in Guatemala, demonstrating the influence of Teotihuacan, an important location for cultural exchanges and innovations among classic Central American classics, on Mayan civilization.
During the classic Mayan period, the altar dates from 400 to 450 AD, in a house once located in the elite residential complex of Tikal, in the jungle near the Mexican border.
It represents the archaeologist Lorena Paiz of the Tikal Archaeological Project, telling reporters that it represents the Teotihuacan Storm goddess.
The rectangular structure is 1.1 meters high and 1.8 meters wide (3.6 feet x 5.9 feet) made of earth and is covered with stucco or gypsum.
It shows a painted face with tassels headdress, necklace and other Teotihuacan elements.
It contains “many features” that reminiscent of the influence in central Mexico, Paiz said.
“This is the strongest evidence of our date, probably someone (the Mayans) who are very familiar with Teodivaka culture,” said archaeologist Edwin Roman.
Ana Claudia Monzon, an official of the Guatemala Ministry of Culture, said that after searching for dense jungles using laser beam technology, the residential complex of the altar was discovered, which was discovered in 2019.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Tikal reached its peak between 200 and 900 AD, when Mayan culture covered what is now Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras.
Teotihuacan is famous for its sun and moon pyramids and is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Mexico City.
The culture peaked between 100 and 600 years.
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