Hundreds of Mayan artifacts discovered along Mexico's train construction route

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(CNN) -

Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of Mayan artifacts, including ceramic vessels and burial sites, along the route of a train construction project in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, the National Institute announced Thursday. of Anthropology and History (INAH) in a statement.

Researchers have so far discovered about 2,500 pre-Hispanic structures, 80 burials and thousands of vessels and fragments along the route of the so-called "Mayan Train," INAH said.

The artifacts were discovered with the help of GPS georeferencing, satellite topographic images, and LIDAR sensors on the periphery of just one of the project's stretches, which runs from the cities of Palenque, in Chiapas, to Escárcega, in Campeche.

"Both the immovable archaeological artifacts and those that can be moved expand the knowledge about daily life and the relations of trade and cultural exchange that existed centuries ago in the Mayan zone," said INAH.

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Some of the objects "of special interest" to the researchers are "an offering consisting of a bowl and a vessel with a spout, both with four mammiform supports (representing the breasts of a woman)".

They date from the transition from the Preclassic to the Classic period, known as Protoclassic, the INAH said.

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Archaeologists believe those vessels were used by the ruling elite during "important political or religious moments," INAH said.

Support and criticism of the construction of the train in Mexico

Another area of ​​interest to researchers is the Boca del Cerro area, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River, which was part of a large residential area associated with a key commercial center that connected regions of the Usumacinta and other parts of Mesoamerica.

"The construction of the Mayan Train constitutes an important research opportunity, through archaeological recovery, with a view to expanding knowledge about the archaeological sites of the regions that the train will travel," said the researchers.

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However, critics of the train project, which aims to connect beach resorts and the interior of the peninsula, say it will damage the environment and potentially other archaeological sites.

The president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has maintained that the construction of the project, which will cross five states, will be carried out in a safe way for the environment and will benefit tourism.

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