Ancient Atlantean Sculpture Discovered At The Mayan Chichen Itza Archaeological Site

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - An ancient Atlantean sculpture with arms raised has been discovered during works preparing a road that will lead to a new section of Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most visited Mexico's archeological sites. Famous for its impressive structures, including the Kukulkan Pyramid, the Temple of the Warriors, and the Ball Court, Chichen Itza offers a unique opportunity to travel back in time and explore the history of the ancient Maya.

Image credit: INAH

Archaeologists working at Chichen Itza keep making discoveries that provide a more comprehensive picture of the ancient Maya civilization.

In a recent press conference, scientists from INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) announced the discovery of an ancient Atlantean sculpture measuring 90 cm in height.

The newly recovered sculpture, in association with a housing complex, adds to a series of elements that show that there was an important common base between the Mayan culture of Chichén Itzá, in the Terminal Classic and Early Postclassic periods and those of the central and northwestern central Mexico, at approximately the same dates, between AD 800 and 1200, even later.

The location where the Atlantean sculpture was unearthed. Image credit: INAH

The general director of the INAH, Diego Prieto Hernández, told the press the find has the characteristics of Atlantean-type sculptures. The male character appears with his arms raised, holding an object, and is represented with a rich attire made up of a headband, a pectoral made of four rows of jade beads, long earmuffs, and bracelets. Hernández also said one should pay attention to "the features of his face, which link him, stylistically, to Huastec evocations."

Prieto Hernández explained that, due to their dimensions (90 centimeters high and 45 centimeters wide), these sculptures were part of the altars holding stone blocks carved in the shape of a table, elements located in ceremonial structures.

Image credit: INAH

Atlantean statues have been found in the Yucatan Temple of the Warriors at the Maya-Toltec city of Chichen Itza, Mexico.

As to the word 'Atlantean' associated with the statues, this name was given to them because of their similarity to the load-bearing figures like Atlas, a Titan god of endurance in Greek mythology. Atlas was responsible for maintaining the weight of the world.

The newly unearthed sculpture at Chichen Itza is small compared to the Atlantean statues in the ancient Toltec' city of Tula. As previously said on Ancient pages, the enigmatic gigantic basalt figures of Tula "are over 15 feet (4.5 m) tall. Their weight is between 8 and 8.5 tons, and they have a diameter of one meter.

Atlantean statues Of Tula are four anthropomorphic characters representing ancient warriors who followed Mesoamerican god king Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent. Image source

Their additional decorations are headdresses of snakeskin and feathers, stylized butterfly breastplates, and carry spear throwers and a supply of spears. On the back, they have a shield with the seal of the sun."

It is worth keeping in mind the ancient Atlantean Tula statues represent warriors, while the recent discovery was made in the image of a being associated with rituals and ceremonies.

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During the press conference, INAH's Diego Prieto Hernández also explained that these archaeological finds are part of the rescue mission linked to the construction of the Mayan Train, and about the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza) in 27 sites near the mega-project.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer