SAEDNEWS: Archaeologists have uncovered the bust of an ancient warrior during excavations at a Maya temple. The sculpture depicts the warrior’s head adorned with a helmet resembling a serpent.
According to the Saed News Society Service, Chichén Itzá was a Maya city that gained regional prominence in the late Classic period in Yucatán, Mexico. At the height of its glory, the city spanned approximately 4 square miles and was home to over 35,000 residents.
The name Chichén Itzá translates to “At the mouth of the Itzá well,” likely referring to a deep cenote that made the site an attractive settlement. The city’s structures were organized into architectural groups, each separated by low walls.
Three of the site’s most famous architectural complexes are centered around the Great North Plaza, which houses prominent structures such as the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo).
Excavations led by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) focused on removing the fill around the Chichanchob Temple, also known as the Casa Colorada complex. Chichanchob is a rectangular plaza or temple built in the Puuc style, reminiscent of El Caracol.
Inside the temple lies a small chamber adorned with carved hieroglyphs that record the reigns of Chichén Itzá rulers and possibly those of the nearby city of Ek’ Balam, preserving a Maya date corresponding to 869 CE.
In a press release, Diego Prieto Hernández of INAH announced that archaeologists uncovered a sculpted head of a Maya warrior during the Chichanchob excavation. The head wears a headdress resembling an open-mouthed serpent, adorned with feathers, some of which are broken.
