Home Feature Maya elite lived in Teotihuacán, latest findings reveal

Maya elite lived in Teotihuacán, latest findings reveal

by Yucatan Times
0 comment

The remains of a mural and various materials in the Plaza de las Columnas, found by a group of archaeologists, indicate that the Mayas resided and would have intervened in rituals or administrative matters in this pre-Hispanic city.

MÉXICO, (June 25, 2021).- A group of archaeologists discovered remains of a mural and various materials in the Plaza de las Columnas, which indicate that the elite of the Maya culture resided in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacán. , located in the northeast of Mexico City.

The materials, which included Maya ceramic fragments and a rich consecration offering and a deposit made up of thousands of human skeletal remains of sacrificed individuals, were found in that area, located between the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, west of the Calzada of the Dead.

The National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) highlighted that these findings confirm the relationship between the two cultures that were geographically separated by 1,300 kilometers.

“Epigraphic texts located in cities such as Tikal, in the Guatemalan Petén, refer to the contact that both cultures had towards the IV century of our era.

“However, little evidence of it had been found in the great metropolis of the Mexican Altiplano, until today, where new findings point to the residence of the Maya elite in the City of the Gods.

The team of archaeologists led by doctors Saburo Sugiyama, Verónica Ortega Cabrera, Nawa Sugiyama, and William Fash started from the hypothesis of its importance for the political organization of Teotihuacán to the extent that activities to control it were developed there.

The Plaza de las Columnas Project began four years ago with the idea of ​​exploring the fourth largest architectural complex in the pre-Hispanic metropolis, after the sets of the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, as well as the Citadel.

Photo: (INAH)

“Through the excavation of wells, in addition to the outline of a tunnel, it has been possible to determine that the structures of the Plaza de las Columnas served for administrative and ceremonial activities and probably as a residence for the elite not only Teotihuacan but also Maya, towards 350 AC, when both dominated the panorama during the Classic period in Mesoamerica “, indicated the INAH.

One of the most revealing finds occurred in 2016 when more than 500 fragments of mural painting were rescued in the northern part of the northern mound, many of which stand out for their Maya style.

The archaeologist Saburo Sugiyama, who has worked for the last 38 years in Teotihuacán, stated that the previous discovery in the Pyramid of the Moon of sacrificed individuals accompanied by Maya-style greenstone earrings pointed to the relationship between both cultures.

“But the remains of mural painting in the Plaza de las Columnas allow us to affirm the presence of the Maya elites in Teotihuacán, and that it was not periodic and for ritual purposes, but permanent”.

Photo: (INAH)

“Likely, the artists who made these murals and the highest political Maya officials lived in a building north of said mound,” he shared.

Although the mural fragments have not been reconstructed, a wide range of colors can still be identified (white, red, ocher, green, among others), including small human figurines similar to those seen in the murals of the Teotihuacan neighborhood of Tetitla.

However, due to the presence of Maya glyphs, the fluid style, dominance of the line, and its naturalism are the work of an artist or artists “who knew perfectly the iconography of the Lowlands of the Maya South.”

“Due to the location of these finds, in the central area of ​​the ancient city of Teotihuacán, we believe that they were part of a building where the State coordinated interactions with the Maya elites, or where the Mayas intervened in ritual or administrative matters,” said the researcher at Arizona State University.

Photo: (INAH)

The Plaza de las Columnas Project tries to clear up mysteries about the origin of urban planning in Teotihuacán, the formation and transformation of a city that maintained various types of multi-ethnic relationships.

Source: El Financiero

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Our Company

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consect etur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis.

Newsletter

Laest News

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00