Mayan Tombs Dating Back 1,200 Years Found in Southeast Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Mexican archaeologists have found a dozen Mayan burial sites dating back more than 1,200 years at the Xtojil site, located some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula, the National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH) said.

Most of the skeletal remains were discovered in lithic tombs known as “cistas” (rectangular caskets protected and covered by stone slabs) that also contained some 30 ceramic pieces, two of which have hieroglyphs, the INAH said in a statement.

The find was made during excavation work to expand a highway in that region, the INAH said.

The tombs were placed between 600-800 A.D., prior to Chichen Itza’s emergence as a great ceremonial and political hub in the northern part of the peninsula. EFE

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