Guatemalan archaeologists make new discoveries at Tikal
A team of archaeologists and community workers investigate a possible relationship between Tikal, the archaeological site that was once one of the main cities of the Mayan empire, located in northern Guatemala, and Teotihuacan, the largest city-state in central Mexico.
A team of national and foreign archaeologists, along with community workers from the villages around Tikal, have discovered signs that could reveal a possible relationship between this Mayan city and the city of Teotihuacan.
Francisco Estrada-Belli, archaeologist and adviser to PAST, shows from his phone an infrared lidar image of the Tikal area, revealing structures buried in the jungle and previously thought to be natural mounds.
The PAST carries out its investigations based on the use of LIDAR technology, which has allowed the discovery of structures with similar characteristics to those found in Teotihuacan, a Mayan city in central Mexico.
The team of archaeologists is made up of experts in archeology and history, photogrammetry, excavation and architecture. It is made up of archaeologists and researchers from universities in Guatemala and the United States, and community workers from Peten.
Pieces and fragments of artifacts discovered in the excavations are reviewed and then ordered before being sent to the laboratories for analysis. Many fragments are part of Mayan pottery with the same characteristics as those found in Teotihuacan.
The fragments of artifacts discovered in the area of "La Ciudadela" are classified, for an analysis that reveals clues about the lifestyle of the Maya of Tikal, and if they would have had some kind of relationship with Teotihuacan.
Apart from excavations and analysis of fragments, the team of archaeologists also studies the art made by the Mayans, on the walls of the structures discovered in the southern area of Tikal. Art that includes carved drawings and portraits made with paintings typical of the time.
One of the paintings that has been preserved until our time, and that is the object of study by PAST, are the Mayan ball players, which can be seen in one of the tunnels made in the southern area of Tikal. The ball players are dressed in their game clothes and seem to pay respect to each other.
In one of the tunnels that the archaeological project investigates, there are some steps from one of the temples, which still preserve their original color.
The PAST focuses its investigations in the southern area of Tikal, behind the place known as the "Lost World". LiDAR technology reveals that TIkal's original extent as a city is larger than previously believed, spanning some 32 square km.
The team of archaeologists uses a variety of state-of-the-art technology, such as the use of infrared, humidity meters, spectrographs, cameras and drones, for their explorations and investigations in the jungle.