Archaeologists Find Ancient Mayan City At Construction Sites, From Palace Ruins To Pyramids

Illustration of the ruins of a Mayan building in Merida, Mexico. (Wikimedia Commons/Adam Jones, Ph.D.)

JAKARTA - Archaeologists have found the ruins of an ancient Mayan city that includes palaces, pyramids and squares at the construction site of an industrial area, near Merida, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.

The site, called Xiol, features the Puuc Maya architectural style, archaeologists say, which is common in the southern Yucatan Peninsula, but rare near Merida.

"We think more than 4,000 people live around here," said Carlos Peraza, one of the archaeologists who led the excavation of the city, which is thought to have been inhabited from AD 600-900.

"There are people from different social classes, priests, scribes, who live in this big palace, and there are also ordinary people who live in small buildings," explained Peraza.

Researchers also found graves of adults and children nearby, buried with obsidian and flint tools, offerings and other items.

Remnants of marine life were also found in the area, suggesting that the townspeople supplemented their agriculture-based diet, by fishing along the nearby coast.

Xiol was discovered after construction began in an industrial area. The plan is for the construction to continue, although the archaeological remains will be preserved, according to the land owner.

"Over time, urban sprawl (in the area) has developed and many archaeological remains have been destroyed. However, even us archaeologists were surprised, because we did not expect to find such a well-preserved site," concluded Peraza.