Mexican archaeologists recover ancient monolith. The limestone slab is characterized by a full-length feline carved in relief.
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) recovered a limestone slab from colonial times, that is characterized by the image of a huge feline and that is thought to date from 1638.
Through a night operation, the monolith, which weighs almost one tonne, arrived at the Conservation Section of INAH’s Center in Yucatán.
The anthropologist asserted that the monolith, protected by the Federal Law of Artistic and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites, will undergo a restoration process that will last approximately a month and a half.
Then, he said, it could be included in the repertory of Yucatán’s Regional Anthropology Museum in the Cantón Palace, located in Paseo Montejo.
#PrensaINAH ?️
— INAHmx (@INAHmx) February 24, 2020
Recupera INAH una placa tallada en piedra, testigo de la nomenclatura virreinal de Mérida; podría incorporarse al acervo del @palaciocanton.
Más información ? https://t.co/8mInWIj89u pic.twitter.com/PODYyMu6lD
Restaurateur Natalia Hernández Tangarife commented that the limestone stab, of 131 cm long, 112 cm tall and 33 cm wide, shows a full-length feline carved in rock.
On the right side of the animal, there is an inscription with the word “TIGER” written over another legend, almost invisible at plain sight, that read: “Yucatán, land of beasts.”
INAH staff has used the book “Mérida’s Sentimental Geography: The Stones that Talk” for the historical study and interpretation of the slab. This publication is from the 1930s, and was written by Oswaldo Baqueiro Anduze (1902-1945).