The Construction of the Tren Maya Intercity Railway in Mexico Encounters the “Grim Reaper”.
Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) have announced the discovery of a palace complex related to the ancient city of Balamkú of the Maya civilization.
According to Heritage Daily, this was an unexpected find at the construction site of the Calakmul station, which is part of Line 7 of Tren Maya, a 1,554 km long intercity railway that traverses the Yucatan Peninsula and connects numerous famous Maya archaeological sites.
Recently Discovered Maya Palace in Mexico – (Photo: INAH).
The location of the Calakmul station is just 3.5 km away from the Balamkú Archaeological Site.
Balamkú covers an area of up to 25 hectares and is distributed across three zones, featuring pyramids, ball courts, plazas, and many other architectural structures that remain largely unexplored.
This ancient city was inhabited around 300 BC, during the late Preclassic period, until the late Classic period, which spans from 800 to 1000 AD.
The recently excavated palace is believed to be associated with Balamkú and is therefore at least a thousand years old.
The palace is situated on a rectangular stone foundation with rounded corners, featuring a courtyard arranged with five structures made of limestone.
Archaeologists also uncovered a limestone sculpture depicting Ah Puch, the Maya god of death and earthquakes, suggesting that this palace may have been constructed to honor this deity.
The peculiar statue of Ah Puch, characterized by a distorted skull and a large phallus, was found in a circular structure at the center of the complex, where several funeral-related offerings and a pair of ceramic bowls were discovered.
Human remains were also found at the temple, though the reasons for their presence are unclear; they may have been victims of sacrificial rites.
To preserve the palace complex, INAH archaeologists meticulously dismantled the structures to relocate them nearby, where they will be exhibited in the form of an interactive museum.
