Atlantis Online
March 28, 2024, 04:50:51 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Scientists Confirm Historic Massive Flood in Climate Change
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20060228/
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Maya River Port In Mexico

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Archaeologists Discover Ancient Maya River Port In Mexico  (Read 70 times)
0 Members and 13 Guests are viewing this topic.
Bianca
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 41646



« on: May 28, 2009, 07:38:12 am »









                              Archaeologists discover ancient Maya river port in Mexico






May 28th, 2009 - 
by IANS  -
Balancan
(Mexico)
(EFE)

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Maya river port dating back to 600 B.C. in southeast Mexico.
The 23 archaeological pieces that were retrieved in the Mexican state of Tabasco has established the existence of the port there, experts said.

The excavation work at the site began three months ago. The site covers an area of 87 hectares and
is located adjacent to a ranching community in Reforma, officials said.

Benito Lopez, one of the two experts heading the excavation, said the port was used by the Mayan cities that were once located in the present-day Mexican states of Campeche and Chiapas, and in the neighboring Guatemala.

The archaeologists studying a pyramid at the site said the structure resembled the ruins of Calakmul
in Campeche state which is proof of the spread of the Mayan civilisation in the country.

“The hypothesis tells us that this zone could have been a route for those who were … seeking to trade,” said Lopez.

Masks, small sculptures, stones, and spear points, are among the 23 pieces, unearthed near the pyramid.

The Maya civilisation, between 250 B.C. and 1,000 A.D., extended from the present-day Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, to the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Report Spam   Logged

Your mind understands what you have been taught; your heart what is true.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Bianca
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 41646



« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2009, 07:41:24 am »










                        Archaeologists Excavate Ancient Maya River Port in Southeast Mexico



 
 
 
BALANCAN,
MEXICO
(EFE).

- The finding of 23 archaeological pieces from about 600 BC has strengthened the historic importance of the Maya city of Moral-Reforma, a river port located in the current Mexican state of Tabasco which was almost unknown until a group of experts began excavating it three months ago.

The archaeological site, which is 87 hectares (217 acres) in size, is located adjacent to the ranching community of Reforma.

The community belongs to the municipality of Balancan, which in Maya means "place of tigers and serpents," and it is located 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco.

Benito Lopez, one of the two experts heading the excavation, told Efe that Moral-Reforma functioned as a port or bartering spot for other Maya cities in the present-day states of Campeche and Chiapas, and in neighboring Guatemala.

Running together near the ruins are the Usumacinta River - the country's largest - and the San Pedro River, a communications route with southern Mexico.

"The hypothesis tells us that this zone could have been a route for those who were ... seeking to trade," said Lopez at the site, where the temperature reaches 45 C (113 F) at this time of year.

The first investigatory work was done on the main structures at the Maya port 17 years ago, and some of the principal monuments have been restored, among them a traditional ball court and three buildings.

Five stone stelae with inscriptions, some complete and others just fragmentary, from the area are currently exhibited at the museum in Balancan and the Carlos Pellicer Museum in Villahermosa.

The team of archaeologists for the past three months has been investigating one of the two main levels of the most important building, a pyramid covered with soil that rises in the extreme northern part of the Indian city and resembles the ruins of Calakmul in Campeche.

When one climbs up the first 15 steps of the pyramid, one can see a series of altars discovered in recent weeks which "surely were painted and plastered," according to the expert.

Masks, small sculptures, stones, spear points and heads painted green comprise the 23 pieces unearthed in the area adjacent to the pyramid.

"This morning, we found another little face of a person. These pieces are of limestone, flint, the same material with which the pyramids are made," said Lopez during a stroll through the ruins.

The pieces found to date were sent last Monday to the Villahermosa office of Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute for restoration.

According to the research performed so far, Moral-Reforma was part of the dominion of Palenque, one of the main Maya cities in Mexico.

Francisco Cuevas Reyes, the other archaeologist heading the investigation, said that at the site are another 95 earthen mounds that could contain more Maya artifacts or buildings.

"With this work, the (Maya) people are taking shape," he said.

The experts calculate that by August they will have excavated 50 percent of the main pyramid, with the collaboration of a team of about 100 workers, most of whom live in Reforma.

Carlos Cajija Alvarez is one of the archaeologists' reliable men. Not only does he keep a list of the artifacts found, but he supervises the work of the other workers.

"Not just anyone can work here. Desperate people are not hired because here the requirement is to have patience," Cajija Alvarez told Efe, adding that he built houses before taking this job and getting an introduction to the mysterious world of archaeology.



The Maya civilization was at its height between 250 BC and 1000 AD and extended throughout the area comprising the current Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, as well as what are today the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. EFE/Kristian Cerino. 
Report Spam   Logged

Your mind understands what you have been taught; your heart what is true.
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy