- Title: MEXICO: Find of tomb could give clues to fall of Mayan empire
- Date: 29th January 2010
- Summary: HIAPAS, MEXICO (JANUARY 27, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MAYA SITE OF TONINA PEOPLE WALKING AROUND SITE MORE OF SITE VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGIST JUAN YADEUN SHOWING DISCOVERY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARCHAEOLOGIST JUAN YADEUN, SAYING: "Everyone who has studied the Mayan world has the same concern because from 820 AD onwards, all areas of the ancient empire were abandoned and that marvelous ancient civilization completely disappeared and in its place, these Toltec groups appeared. They apparently came from Puebla, Tlaxcala and from Tabasco. They already had a corporate organization which was not elitist and destroyed what the ancient dynasties had created." MORE OF TOMB MORE OF SITE VARIOUS INSIDE CRYPT VARIOUS OF DISCOVERED BONES AND POT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARCHAEOLOGIST JUAN YADEUN, SAYING: "The wall we found refers to those 20 years of transformation (820 AD - 840 and 900 AD) where that government ruled here for exactly 20 years. And, in those 20 years, the whole exterior iconography was completely transformed, not only in Tonina, but also in a large part of ancient Mexico. That wall represents the work of that man and he transformed that universe completely. Thirteen days after that mural was inaugurated he died and so a woman took power for some time. The woman was inscrutable because he was a great warrior. At the time of his death, they were at war against Palenque and Tikal, and they were allied against Kalakmul. So to hide his death for more than seven years, this woman used the mask as his emblem." MORE OF SITE MORE OF ITEMS FOUND INSIDE TOMB MORE OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND SITE MORE OF SITE
- Embargoed: 13th February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Mexico
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: History
- Reuters ID: LVAECW3BI58CISO67GZMQ8QJCFB1
- Story Text: Mexican archeologists have discovered a 1,100 year-old tomb in the Mayan site of Tonina in southern Chiapas that could shed light on why the glorious Mayan empire collapsed.
Archaeologist Juan Yadeun, who oversees the Tonina site for Mexico's National Anthropology Institute, said the tomb and items found inside may indicate who occupied the Mayan site of Tonina after the Mayan's Classic period began to vanish.
Many historians think internal warfare between Mayan cities or environmental aggravation were possible causes of the culture's downfall which commenced around 820 AD.
Yadeun said items of the Toltec culture found inside the tomb - which dates between 840 AD and 900 AD - may point to another explanation.
He added the tomb indicates a new wave of occupation at the site. Archeologists will be able to determine who these people were from bones discovered in the tomb.
"Everyone who has studied the Mayan world have the same concern because from 820 AD onwards all areas of the ancient empire were abandoned and that marvelous ancient civilization completely disappeared and in its place, these Toltec groups appeared. They apparently came from Puebla, Tlaxcala and from Tabasco. They already had a corporate organization which was not elitist and destroyed what the ancient dynasties had created," he said.
The Toltecs were a war-like pre-Aztec civilization known for sacrificing adult humans -- mainly prisoners of war -- to the Gods.
Based in the ancient city of Tula, about 50 miles north of Mexico City, they flourished until the late 12th century, influencing much of Mexico from the southwestern United States down to the Gulf of Mexico and Central America.
Tula is best known today for its fearsome 15-foot-high (4.5 meter) stone warrior figures.
The newly uncovered tomb, which is surrounded by dense jungle vegetation dotted with temples and platforms left by the classic Mayan, was first found during maintenance work in December last year and later excavated by archeologists. It is found underneath one of the older temples.
A pot and an intentionally deformed fractured skull, as well as long bones placed in the shape of a cross were found inside the pre-Hispanic tomb.
Scientists believe the bones may belong to a Mayan individual but an exact date of origin has not been established.
The stone tomb measures two metres in length by 70 cms (28 inches) and 60 cms (24 inches) deep. It has four edges in the shape of buttons and has a heavy stone lid which is 15 cms (6 inches) thick.
Yadeun said parts of the skeleton were found outside the tomb and belonged to a high-ranking figure, possibly a woman or a minor, because the eyeballs are small.
Anthropologists are studying the bones to possibly determine which group the woman belonged to.
The tomb contains evidence that at least another pre-Hispanic group took over the site after the collapse of the Mayans.
"The wall we found refers to those 20 years of transformation (820 AD - 840 and 900 AD) where that government ruled here for exactly 20 years. And, in those 20 years, the whole exterior iconography was completely transformed, not only in Tonina, but also in a large part of ancient Mexico. That wall represents the work of that man and he transformed that universe completely. Thirteen days after that mural was inaugurated he died and so a woman took power for some time. The woman was inscrutable because he was a great warrior. At the time of his death, they were at war against Palenque and Tikal, and they were allied against Kalakmul. So to hide his death for more than seven years, this woman used the mask as his emblem."
Inside the crypt, archeologists also found a pottery urn with a lid containing boiled and fragmented bones but their date does not correspond to that of the coffin. Archeologists believe these were placed there by Tzeltal Mayan groups just before the Spanish conquest, around the 1400s. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
