Archaeology Almost 3000-year-old Mayan site discovered in Guatemala
In the north of Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a Mayan site that is around 2900 years old. The researchers named the site "Los Abuelos" (The Grandparents).
30.05.2025, 04:25
SDA
This is because two anthropomorphic stone sculptures were found there, which were presumably dedicated to the cult of the ancestors, according to team leader Milan Kováč. The excavations also uncovered an observatory, pyramids, altars, stele fragments and ceramics.
The site discovered in the rainforest covers around 16 square kilometers near the site of Uaxactún in the province of Petén. The Unesco World Heritage Site of Tikal, one of the most important cultural centers of the Mayan civilization, is only around 40 kilometers south of "Los Abuelos".
Abandoned and later used again
The site that has now been discovered is said to have been one of the most important ritual centers in the region, as team leader Kováč said at a press conference in Guatemala City. The stone figures found there, which are said to depict a man and a woman as a couple, date from 600 to 400 BC.
The seated sculptures are around one and a half meters high. Ceramics were found at their feet, which had obviously been deliberately broken. The site, described by the discoverers as a small temple, is said to have been used for ritual purposes for around 1,000 years and then abandoned until it was brought back into use by later inhabitants around 800 AD.
The team of archaeologists from Slovakia and Guatemala also made discoveries at two other nearby sites, Petnal and Cambrayal. In Petnal, which is believed to have been a former Mayan political center, a 33-meter-high pyramid was reportedly found - the largest in the area investigated to date.
