Rare Mayan god K'awiil statue found along Maya Train route
The Mayan god K'awil, who is associated with strength, abundance, and prosperity, was depicted in a rare stone sculpture by archaeologists working on section 7 of the Maya Train line.
The three-dimensional depiction of the Mayan god K'awiil, uncovered during an archeological rescue dig on Section 7 of the Maya Train route. (INAH)
During President López Obrador's morning press conference, Diego Prieto Hernández, general director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), made the announcement.
The god K'awil has a limited number of sculptures; to date, we only know of three in Tikal, Guatemala, and this is the first to be discovered on Mexican territory, according to Prieto.
He clarified that Mayan codices, paintings, and reliefs are where the god is most frequently depicted. This unusual three-dimensional artwork was discovered on the top of an urn, whose body depicts the face of another deity who may have some connection to the sun.
The construction of the Maya Train has led to a surge of interest in Mayan archeology, as researchers turn up a wealth of buried artifacts. Here, an archeologist shows his finds in an area near Chichén Itzá. (Martín Zetina/Cuartoscuro)
According to Prieto, AMLO was shown the piece while on a tour last weekend to check on the development of Maya Train section 7, which connects Escárcega, Campeche, with Bacalar, Quintana Roo.
He noted that since parts 1 through 5 of the train's route between Palenque, Chiapas, and Tulum have been finished, archaeological rescue efforts are now focused on sections 6 and 7.
The gathering, cleaning, classification, and arrangement of archaeological materials are just a few of the complementing tasks that are still under progress, according to Prieto.
National Institute of Anthropology and History Director Diego Prieto Hernandez (at podium) announced the find at the daily presidential press conference on Thursday. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartsocuro)
All of this activity should result in the examination of the copious data, the creation of academic studies, and the organization of a sizable international research conference on the Mayan civilisation for this year.
The following have been registered and protected by the INAH as a result of the Maya Train archaeological rescue effort as of April 27 2023:
48,971 ancient buildings or foundations
896,449 ceramic fragments
1,817 movable objects
491 human remains
1,307 natural features, such as caves and cenotes.
Other significant finds made during construction include an 8,000-year-old human skeleton in a cenote close to Tulum, a 1,000-year-old Maya canoe at the San Andrés archaeological site near Chichén Itzá, and Paamul II, a previously undiscovered archaeological site in Quintana Roo with more than 300 buildings.
Land cleared for the Maya Train near Playa del Carmen. While officials tout the amazing discoveries being made during construction work on the Maya Train, environmentalists say the project is causing irreparable damage to the jungle environment and cenotes on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Prieto has previously stated that a brand-new museum will be built in Mérida and will be devoted to the findings made while building the Maya Train. In its laboratory in Chetumal, the INAH is also analyzing the discoveries, which, according to Prieto, will fuel research into Mayan civilizations for the ensuing 25 years.
Although the archaeological rescue effort is thought to be going well, environmentalists continue to oppose the Maya Train because they think it will irreparably harm the area's distinctive ecosystems and underground lakes.