According to official sources on Monday, an ancient Maya stone sculpture depicting a death deity has been discovered by experts from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
In a press conference, the general director of INAH, Diego Prieto Hernández, stated that the limestone figure was found a few days ago in the village of Conhuas, in the Mexican state of Campeche, near the Balamkú Maya archaeological zone.
Researchers’ analyses indicate that the sculpture is an anthropomorphic figure seated, with a character having an erect tabular cranial modification, wearing a nose ring and a mask on the skull.
In addition, it has remnants of red pigments, and it is estimated that its age corresponds to the Early Classic period (200-600 AD).
“This is a figure that appeals to mortuary motifs and would be linked to a death deity due to its skeletal features,” explained Prieto Hernández.
He also commented that polychrome pottery fragments were also recovered along with this sculpture.
The piece was salvaged during the archaeological preservation efforts undertaken by INAH during the construction of Section 7 of the Maya Train in Mexico.
The Maya Train project, with an investment of approximately 200,000 million pesos (around 10,000 million dollars), will connect five southeastern Mexican states (Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo) through the construction of more than 1,500 kilometers of railway.