1,700-year-old altar was found in a Mayan City - and it shouldn't have been there

A 1,700-year-old Teotihuacan-style altar has been found by archaeologists within the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala - but it should never have been there.

In a translated announcement from Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry, researchers agreed Group 6D-XV, the area where the altar was found, was inhabited by individuals with strong ties, or even from, the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan.

There is more than 600 miles between Tikal and Teotihuacan but the discovery implies there was a strong connection between the two cities.

Excavations and investigations began in 2019 and through 25 wells and more than 100 metres of excavation, a house in Teotihuacan style was found along with the altar. The altar measures 1.8m (six feet) in height and 1.1m (more than three-and-a-half feet) in length.

This reinforces the theory the group of people that lived here played a significant role in Tikal's political and ritual outlook.

In a statement, researchers said: "In addition to bringing their funeral and architectural traditions, [people] were also free to manifest their own cultural identity and beliefs in a key space within Tikal. This confirms the cosmopolitan character of this important Mayan city."

A Teotihuacan-style altar was found in a Mayan city / Edwin Roman Ramirez

Guatemala's Culture and Sports Ministry confirmed the structure is distinguished by its slope-board architecture, characteristic of Teotihuacan.

The mural represents the Goddess of the Storm. Its tassel and earmuffs headdress recalls the incense burners found on the South Coast of Guatemala and shows the custom of the Teotihuacano inhabitants of dedicating the construction of their structures to their deities, and not to the rulers - as was customary in the Mayan culture.

The mural was found as part of investigations of the Archaeological Project of the South of Tikal (PAST).

Lorena Paiz Aragon, from the PAST team, said: "It's something unique in Guatemala. Nothing similar had been found. Something so domestic, from a residence; it is the first copy that is held in Guatemala.

"That is its importance because it is very reminiscent of the Teotihuacan neighbourhoods, with central altars.

"This demonstrates the importance of both cultures and the cosmopolitan character of pre-Hispanic cities. The importance lies in what we have always believed: Mayan cities were cosmopolitan."

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