A vessel with a mysterious message and a cave with a fascinating construction inside are just some of the latest archaeological discoveries on the Mayan Train route. Meet them!
Interesting archaeological discoveries took place on the route where the Mayan Train will pass ; with a unique vessel of its kind found in section 3 and a network of interesting caves in section 5 south.
The discoveries on the Mayan Train route do not stop, because when crossing the unexplored jungle of the Mexican southeast; Vestiges of our ancient past continue to appear in Yucatan.
2 new archaeological discoveries have given much to talk about, as they are one of the most important discoveries that have occurred on the Mayan Train route so far; specifically in section 3 and 5.
It is a vessel with ancient hieroglyphics that may have belonged to a well-known figure from the site of Oxkintok, very close to the town of Maxcanú, Yucatán.
There is also a mysterious cave in section 5 which they called “El Escodrijo”, as there are a couple of interesting theories about what it may have kept inside at some point, in addition to pre-Hispanic constructions and other equally interesting caves.
Learn about the hidden meanings behind the hieroglyphs found on the vessel in section 3 and the theories of what “El Escondrijo” could have been ; the mysterious cave found in section 5 of the Mayan Train route.
The pre-Hispanic vessel of section 3 on the Mayan train route
A unique vessel of its kind was found together with a group of approximately 80,000 vessel fragments and 42 complete pieces , which entered a cleaning and restoration process; to be analyzed later.
The discoveries occurred in section 3 of the Mayan Train route and belong to the Early Classic (250 – 600 AD) and Late Classic (600 – 800 AD) periods .
According to the studies and analyzes that were carried out to know the origin of the pieces; it was possible to conclude that they come from entities such as Izamal, Xcambó, Santa Bárbara, Chunchucmil, Chan Chocholá and Oxkintok.
The meaning of hieroglyphs
Iliana Ancona Aragón and Sylviane Boucher Le Landais from INAH Yucatán about the vessel that stood out among the others; revealed that the vessel was found in a pre-Hispanic construction near Maxcanú, it measures 8.5 cm in height by 21 cm in diameter at its mouth and the plate measures 11 cm in height by 32 in diameter.
The vessel has taps that correspond to the north and west of Yucatan, which were studied and translated by the archaeologist Ricardo Mateo Canul.
The man says, on its surface, it has been carved, in its bowl or cajete, in its glass, for atole, from Cholom, el Sajal.
A Sajal was the spokesman for the ruler before the people, an educated nobleman, with the ability to write and read, in charge of communicating the news.
The team believes that the vessel may have been dedicated to Sajal Cholom, an elite character they already knew from the Oxkintok site, Maxcanú site. However, the name Cholom comes from the Mayan word Chol, which means to unleash, and Om, which refers to the person who performs an action; so the name could mean “He who loosens”.
Until now it is not known exactly if the vessel was used for rituals, sacrifices or for common use.
Section 5 of the Mayan Train, full of treasures to discover
Section number 5 that is on the Mayan Train route intends to travel 68 kilometers from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. However, important archaeological discoveries such as constructions and an important network of caves/cenotes have put it on the radar of those who seek to rescue the cultural heritage of Mexico.
The work is suspended until June and for now, the coordination of the Archaeological Salvage of the South Section 5 of the Mayan Train indicated that the site is a level 4 monument; with an extension of approximately 1 kilometer long by 500 meters wide.
In addition, the INAH pointed out that there is currently a record of 248 cenotes and 198 archaeological bodies along 570 kilometers and it is thought that most could be directly related to the Mayan culture; Not to mention that it is the only cenote system in the world.
Extensive studies are being carried out with neoradar and he assured that the entire Yucatan peninsula is being studied under a magnifying glass.
Archaeologist Manuel Eduardo Pérez Rivas, responsible for the INAH Archaeological Salvage; for the millennium.
El Escondijo and the mysterious cave with a temple inside
On April 19; speleologists from the Riviera Maya found a cave in section 5 of the Mayan Train which they called El Escodrijo.
There are 2 theories about what the mysterious cave could have been. The first says that it could have been a kind of barn or warehouse for food and water since its temperature remains at 26 degrees all year round.
It is also believed that it could be a cache , as they call the caves and cenotes where treasures were kept safe or rituals were carried out.
But El Escodrijo is not the only wonder found (until now) in section 5 of the Mayan train, because although not much is known yet; There is another cave in which they found a very unique pre-Hispanic temple.
So far there is no information about the temple found in the cave, it is not known if it was a house, a temple; a place where rituals were performed, a tomb, or other store.
A third theory
In recent times, when building infrastructure where the majestic Mayan jungles used to be, it has become customary to make an offering to the aluxes, or as it is known in other states: Chaneques.
Why? There are many stories around Mexico about roads that were not finished because of disasters and misfortunes in the construction zone.
Ancient people say that it is because the guardians of nature, ancient beings who were part of everyday life for our indigenous cultures , do not allow their territory to be destroyed.
The ancient Mayans used to leave houses and offerings to the guardians of the Mayab; the aluxes were in charge of the roads. There were also Chaac’s helpers or the 4 representations of Chaac, the rain god, whom they had to keep happy so that they would work their fields.
But the cenotes are the territory of one of the most intimidating and majestic creatures that exist in Mexico: The powerful Tsukán.
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