New Mayan sites discovered in the Yucatan

[Judi Lynn]

New Mayan sites discovered in the Yucatan
Saturday, June 4, 2011 | News

Mexican archaeologists have discovered several new Mayan sites as well as an important concentration of pre-Columbian graves in the state of Yucatan, according to a statement by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The remains which include structures, ceramics, lithics and human burials were found in the rural community of Sitpach, five kilometres east of Merida, the state capital. The artefacts date back to the Maya Late Preclassic period (400 BC-200 AD) and the finding of them has resulted in a change in the local chronology for this particular region.

New sites

New Maya site recorded during survey. Image: INAH were located in an area covering roughly 1,000 hectares and have been registered to the nearest location; Oxmul, Polok Ceh, Cuzam, Chan Much, Nichak, Tzakan and Chankiuik.
According to INAH, the Oxmul site contained 75 pre-Columbian graves found to contain the remains of individuals buried with polychromatic vessels and other ceramic objects never before seen in this area.

Archaeologist Luis Raul Pantoja Diaz, coordinator of the Merida Region Archaeological Project, said that these finds provide evidence for “earlier, well-organized populations with an elaborate social strata“./i] Mr Diaz said archaeologists had found architectural structures showing evidence of i]“intense social and economic development.”

More:
http://www.pasthorizons.com/index.php/archives/06/2011/new-mayan-sites-discovered-in-the-yucatan