Ancient Mayan Temple found in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

Archeologists in Mexico have found a roughly 1,000-year-old ancient Mayan temple in El Tigre, an archaeological site in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Dating back to 1000 to 1200 AD, the circular structure has two levels and was likely capped with a flat roof. Archeologists believe it was dedicated to the Mayan serpent deity Kukulcan, one of four major deities of the ancient Mayan religion.

Anthropologists and archeologists believe that the Mayan civilization started around 1500 BCE, and continued to thrive throughout Central America and southern North America until around 900 CE.

But the civilization continued to thrive in the Yucatan Peninsula for centuries longer, with its last city falling to the Spanish invaders in 1697.

Officials further believe it may be the same temple described in the writings of Don Pablo Paxbolon, who led the Mayan people in what is now the Mexican state of Tabasco between 1575 and 1576.

His writings describe such temples in the area, each dedicated to one of the main deities.

While those specific temples have not yet been found, other circular structures in the Yucatan Peninsula have been uncovered, including in Edzna, Becan, Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

The Yucatan Peninsula served as one of the last settlements for the Mayans before the civilization collapsed after the bloody Spanish invasion. Its fall remains a topic of debate among experts.

The discovery was made as part of a new railway, called the “Tren Maya” or Maya Train, being constructed in Mexico that will span 1,000 miles.

The project has been taking special care to preserve archeological artifacts and has already uncovered a large number of discoveries since the project began.

As of October 30, 2,698 structures, 249 items, 289,100 ceramic fragments and 177 partial or complete human remains have been found.

The Maya train is set to begin operations in December, 2023.

Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2023.