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A 1,000-year-old altar from Mexico’s ancient Teotihuacan culture has been discovered in the erstwhile Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, providing further proof of ties between the two pre-Hispanic societies, archaeologists said Monday.<\/p>\n
In recent years, several artifacts found at Tikal, Guatemala’s biggest archaeological site, testify to the influence of Teotihuacan — an important site of cultural exchange and innovation in Classic Mesoamerica — on Mayan civilization.<\/p>\n
Dated to between 400 and 450 AD, during the Classic Mayan period, the altar was found in what used to be a house in an elite residential complex at Tikal, situated in the jungle near the Mexico border.<\/p>\n
It represents the Teotihuacan storm goddess, archaeologist Lorena Paiz of the Southern Tikal Archaeological Project told reporters.<\/p>\n
The rectangular structure 1.1 meters high and 1.8 meters wide (3.6 feet by 5.9 feet) is made of earth, covered either with stucco or plaster.<\/p>\n
It shows a painted face with a tasseled headdress, a necklace, and other Teotihuacan elements.<\/p>\n
Paiz said it contained “a multitude” of characteristics that were reminiscent of central Mexican influences.<\/p>\n
“It is the strongest evidence we have to date, possibly of (Mayan) people who were deeply familiar with Teotihuacan culture,” said fellow archaeologist Edwin Roman.<\/p>\n
The residential complex where the altar was found was uncovered in 2019 after a search of the dense jungle using laser beam technology, said Ana Claudia Monzon, an official with the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture.<\/p>\n
Tikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached its peak between 200 and 900 AD when Mayan culture encompassed parts of\u00a0what are now Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras.<\/p>\n
Teotihuacan, famous for its pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Mexico City.<\/p>\n
That culture reached its peak between 100 and 600 AD.<\/p>\n
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