Archaeologists recently discovered an approximately 1300-year-old sculpture of a Mayan god at the archaeological complex of Palenque. The artefact was located in the maize ruins in southeastern Mexico as shared by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (NAH).
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The Mayan maize god discovery
As per The Straits Times, NAH explained the symbolisation and the significance of the sculpture in a statement. They shared that the ancientartefact was discovered in Palenque in a position facing east to west, the organization said:
Which would symbolize the birth of the maize plant with the first rays of the sun…
#NSTworld Archaeologists have uncovered a roughly 1,300-year-old sculpture representing the head of a Mayan maize god in ruins in southeastern Mexico, the National Institute of Anthropology and History said.https://t.co/LRT5RQH6Ue
— New Straits Times (@NST_Online) June 2, 2022
They also elaborate that the sculpture was a part of ‘an offering that was placed on a pond, emulating the entrance of the deity to the underworld, in an aquatic environment.’
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The Institute also highlighted the importance of discovering such artefacts in order to know more about the ancient civilizations. As reported by The Economic Times, one of the researchers, Antonio Gonzalez Cruz mentions:
This discovery allows us to begin to know how the ancient Maya of Palenque constantly relived the mythical passage of the birth, death and resurrection of the maize deity.
At the moment the artefact is in the process of preservation, as it was found in humid conditions, so the institute is drying it out in order to preserve it correctly.
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