Mysterious underground Maya structure unearthed in Mexico

The remains of a mysterious Mayan underground structure have been unearthed in Mexico by archaeologists.

Developments in archeology continue to help bring ancient history to light and teach us about how early civilizations lived on planet earth.

Recent discoveries have revealed a 4000-year-old labyrinth found in the home of the “minotaur” in Crete, while experts may have solved one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world after a landmark discovery in Egypt.

Now, archaeologists in Campeche, Mexico, have discovered an underground structure located below a Maya ball court.

The fascinating discovery was made when experts were in the process of excavating a ball court which would have been the playing space for a ritual ball game played by the Maya people and other Mesoamerican cultures.

Ivan Šprajc, an archaeologist at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies in Slovenia and director of the excavation, explained: “We located parts of an earlier building that had painted walls, but only further excavations may reveal the shape of that underlying building and what its function was.”

The building has painted walls and is believed to be an important structure in terms of the Maya culture.

Šprajc told Live Science that it is “evidently a very important structure, because ball courts are normally found only at major Maya sites, which were centers of the regional political organization.”

According to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, the structure is estimated to date back to between 200-600 AD.

Experts have been able to survey large areas of Maya Lowlands with the help of laser technology called “lidar”, which allows them to map previously unexplored areas from an aircraft.

Šprajc explained: “We have found several ancient Maya settlements, with remains of residential buildings and temple pyramids.”

Thanks to this technology, the team has also discovered offerings that were found on top of a Maya pyramid. These include ceramic vessels, a ceramic animal leg and a chert knife or spear point.

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