Archaeologists Discover Possible Maya Altar Over 1,500 Years Old Along Tren Maya Route in Yucatan

Yucatan, Mexico — Archaeologists have uncovered a possible Maya altar dating back more than 1,500 years along the route of the Tren Maya freight railway in Yucatan, officials announced.

The structure, believed to have been used for religious ceremonies, was part of a residential complex inhabited by a Maya group during the Classic period (400-750 AD), according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The discovery was made during salvage archaeology work accompanying construction of the Tren Maya freight line between the towns of Poxila and Paraiso, south of Progreso.

Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s secretary of culture, said each archaeological find deepens understanding of the ways of life, organization and thought of ancient peoples. “Preserving this possible Maya ritual structure means caring for a memory that belongs to all of us, strengthening the right to identity and recognizing that heritage not only safeguards vestiges of the past: it also sustains knowledge, belonging and cultural continuity for present and future generations,” she said.

Susana Echeverria Castillo, coordinator of archaeological work on Front 1 — which runs from Texan de Palomeque to the connection with Front 2 in the Sierra Papacal area — said the project has revealed settlements that developed in northwestern Yucatan, a corridor about 50 kilometers west of Merida.

The documented settlement lies north of the community of Yaxche de Peon in the municipality of Ucu. A team of archaeologists and 150 manual workers identified a unit made up of domestic complexes surrounding patios.

Taking advantage of a low-lying area, the ancient Maya built houses from roughly faced limestone, of which only wall alignments, foundations, entrances and openings remain as evidence of their occupation.

Based on the discovery of an offering — a vessel and a string of shell and green stone beads recovered from one of the domestic structures — specialists indicate the site was inhabited during the Classic period.

Archaeologist Jose Luis Diaz Cruz explored a quadrangular structure measuring 6 meters by 6 meters that differed from the residential spaces. It consists of three superimposed levels with a bench attached on the south side, overlooking the entire residential complex. A wall alignment on the second level suggests it had a small room on top made of perishable materials.

At the center of the structure, almost on the flagstone, a small limestone disk was recorded, used as a side lid for a jobon (a hollowed trunk used as a beehive). To the south of the same area, three flat stones were arranged. Although photogrammetry revealed a cavity carved into the bedrock 80 centimeters deep, no materials were found inside.

Given its shape, dimensions and location within the unit, Echeverria Castillo suggested it “must have been intended for functions related to the ideology and beliefs of the group that lived there.” The team proposes preserving it along the service road by covering it with geotextile.

Echeverria Castillo noted that contemporary settlements with similar characteristics were recorded in the Yucatan Science and Technology Park on the Sierra Papacal highway, where small circular structures within quadrangular bases were identified as probable altars.

“The proposal is that these sites, including the newly explored one, would be linked to the commercial site of Chunchucmil, which connected the coast — where salt and fish were obtained — with smaller settlements that occupied the northern plain and, in turn, with ruling sites like Oxkintok,” she said.

“We will analyze whether there is a relationship, where these complexes possibly sought to obtain marine resources to bring them inland, in exchange for milpa products, because they are located in areas with fertile land,” she added.