Latest news with #CultureandSportsMinistry
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Child remains found at ancient sacrifice altar hidden in national park
A Teotihuacan altar, which archaeologists believe was used for sacrifices, has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the centre of Mayan civilisation, shedding new light on the interactions between the two ancient cultures. The discovery, announced on Monday by Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, was made within the ancient city of Tikal - an enormous city-state which battled for centuries with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world. Far to the north in Mexico, just outside present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan - 'the city of the gods' or 'the place where men become gods' - is best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was actually a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around eight square miles (20 square kilometres). The still mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. However, it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century. Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the discovery, said that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, 'especially of children.' It took archaeologists one and a half years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyse it before the announcement. 'The remains of three children not older than four years were found on three sides of the altar,' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala),' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the centre altars; that's what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.' Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project within the park, said the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan's elite between 300 and 500 A.D. Román said the discovery also reinforces the idea that Tikal was a cosmopolitan centre at that time, a place where people visited from other cultures, affirming its importance as a centre of cultural convergence. María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not involved with the project, said the discovery confirms 'that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like.' 'We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies,' she said. The altar is just over a yard (1m) wide from east to west and nearly 2 yards (2m) from north to south. It is about a yard (1m) tall and covered with limestone. The dwelling where it was found had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in red tones, a detail from the Teotihuacan culture, according to the ministry's statement. Tikal National Park is about 325 miles (525 kilometres) north of Guatemala City, the site is guarded and there are no plans to open it to the public.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Excavating a Maya City Found a 1,700-Year-Old Altar. It Shouldn't Have Been There.
Archaeologists recently made the first discovery of a Teotihuacan-style altar within a Maya city. The find offers early evidence of the intermingling of two cultures, offering insight into tensions that may have existed between the powers. Experts are still trying to parse out the relationship between the ancient cities of Teotihuacan and Tikal. Archeologists have discovered a 1,700-year-old altar that upends what we thought we knew about two distinct cultures: the Maya and the Teotihuacan. In a discovery announced by Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, archaeologists working on a project in Tikal National Park discovered a Maya-era residence—dubbed Group 6D-XV—featuring a distinctly Teotihuacan altar in the center of the home. Tikal is a 2,400-year-old Maya city in the heart of Guatemala—far flung from Mexico's ancient city of Teotihuacan. The presence of this altar implies that the two shared a relationship that spanned the 600-plus miles that separated them. 'The researchers agree that Group 6D-XV was inhabited by individuals with strong ties to or from Teotihuacan, who, in addition to bringing their funeral and architectural traditions, were also free to manifest their own cultural identity and beliefs in a key space within Tikal,' the researchers wrote in a translated statement. 'This confirms the cosmopolitan character of this important Mayan city.' Scholars from Brown University who were part of the research team published their findings in the journal Antiquity, and believe there was more to the 'cosmopolitan character' than just art. The limestone altar measured about 3.5 feet by 6 feet, and stood in the center of the home—a key element of Teotihuacan style. Built around the late 300s A.D., the altar's design featured original murals in red, yellow, and black, depicting a figure that the study notes resembles a deity called the 'Storm God.' The mural further follows the Teotihuacan tradition of altars dedicated to deities instead of rulers—the latter of which was a common practice in Mayan culture. The experts agree it wasn't the work of a Maya artist, but of an artisan trained in Teotihuacan, the power located 630 miles northwest of Tikal (outside modern-day Mexico City). The residence also contained anthropomorphic figures adorned with red-toned tassels—yet more detail from Teotihuacan traditions. 'What the altar confirms is that wealthy leaders from Teotihuacan came to Tikal and created replicas of ritual facilities that would have existed in their home city,' Stephen Houston, one of the authors of the study, said in a statement. 'It shows Teotihuacan left a heavy imprint there.' Experts believe the site had two key construction timeframes—an original build lasting from 300 A.D. to 400 A.D. (which shows Teotihuacan origin) and an expansion of the central altar, which stretched from 400 to 450 A.D. Tikal was founded in 850 B.C. and was originally known as a small city. But it grew into a dynasty around 100 A.D., and its people likely began interacting with residents of Teotihuacan a couple of centuries later. 'It's almost as if Tikal poked the beast and got too much attention from Teotihuacan,' Houston said. 'That's when foreigners started moving into the area.' At one point between 100 B.C. and 750 A.D., Teotihuacan was one of the world's largest cities, home to over 100,000 residents. Evidence began to mount that the two cities were in conflict, and that Teotihuacan's presence in Tikal could have involved an element of occupation or surveillance. 'The Maya regularly buried buildings and rebuilt on top of them,' Andrew Scherer, another author of the study, said in a statement. 'But here, they buried the altar and surrounding buildings and just left them, even though this would have been prime real estate centuries later. They treated it almost like a memorial or a radioactive zone. It probably speaks to the complicated feelings they had about Teotihuacan.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Remains of three children found at ancient sacrifice altar hidden in jungle
A Teotihuacan altar, which archaeologists believe was used for sacrifices, has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the centre of Mayan civilisation, shedding new light on the interactions between the two ancient cultures. The discovery, announced on Monday by Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, was made within the ancient city of Tikal - an enormous city-state which battled for centuries with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world. Far to the north in Mexico, just outside present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan - 'the city of the gods' or 'the place where men become gods' - is best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was actually a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around eight square miles (20 square kilometres). The still mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. However, it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century. Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the discovery, said that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, 'especially of children.' It took archaeologists one and a half years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyse it before the announcement. 'The remains of three children not older than four years were found on three sides of the altar,' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala),' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the centre altars; that's what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.' Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project within the park, said the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan's elite between 300 and 500 A.D. Román said the discovery also reinforces the idea that Tikal was a cosmopolitan centre at that time, a place where people visited from other cultures, affirming its importance as a centre of cultural convergence. María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not involved with the project, said the discovery confirms 'that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like.' 'We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies,' she said. The altar is just over a yard (1m) wide from east to west and nearly 2 yards (2m) from north to south. It is about a yard (1m) tall and covered with limestone. The dwelling where it was found had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in red tones, a detail from the Teotihuacan culture, according to the ministry's statement. Tikal National Park is about 325 miles (525 kilometres) north of Guatemala City, the site is guarded and there are no plans to open it to the public.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Altar found hidden in Guatemalan jungle reveals crossover of two cultures
A Teotihuacan altar has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala, the centre of Mayan civilisation, shedding new light on the interactions between the two ancient cultures. The discovery, announced on Monday by Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, was made within the ancient city of Tikal - an enormous city-state which battled for centuries with the Kaanul dynasty for dominance of the Maya world. Far to the north in Mexico, just outside present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan - 'the city of the gods' or 'the place where men become gods' - is best known for its twin Temples of the Sun and Moon. It was actually a large city that housed over 100,000 inhabitants and covered around eight square miles (20 square kilometres). The still mysterious city was one of the largest in the world at its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. However, it was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century. Lorena Paiz, the archaeologist who led the discovery, said that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, 'especially of children.' It took archaeologists one and a half years to uncover the altar in a dwelling and analyse it before the announcement. 'The remains of three children not older than four years were found on three sides of the altar,' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country (Guatemala),' Paiz said. 'The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the centre altars; that's what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.' Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project within the park, said the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan's elite between 300 and 500 A.D. Román said the discovery also reinforces the idea that Tikal was a cosmopolitan centre at that time, a place where people visited from other cultures, affirming its importance as a centre of cultural convergence. María Belén Méndez, an archaeologist who was not involved with the project, said the discovery confirms 'that there has been an interconnection between both cultures and what their relationships with their gods and celestial bodies was like.' 'We see how the issue of sacrifice exists in both cultures. It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies,' she said. The altar is just over a yard (1m) wide from east to west and nearly 2 yards (2m) from north to south. It is about a yard (1m) tall and covered with limestone. The dwelling where it was found had anthropomorphic figures with tassels in red tones, a detail from the Teotihuacan culture, according to the ministry's statement. Tikal National Park is about 325 miles (525 kilometres) north of Guatemala City, the site is guarded and there are no plans to open it to the public.
