A nearly 3,000-year-old Maja tribe settlement is revealed in northern Guatemala
Archaeologists have discovered a nearly 3,000-year-old settlement of the Maya tribe in the northern Guatemala, which may have been one of the most important ceremonial centers in the region, said Chief Archist Milan Kovac at a press conference.
The newly discovered place is called Los Abuelos, or grandparents, as two sitting stone sculptures believed to represent a man and a woman were found there.
Speaking at a press conference in Guatemala City, Kovac said sculptures are believed to be related to the worship of ancestors and that the country may have been one of the most important ritual centers of the region.
The statues, which are about 1.5 meters high, were found with broken ceramic pots on their feet, most likely ritual offers.
Los Abuelos is located in the tropical forest near Uexactun in Petten province and covers about 16 square kilometers.
It is located about 40 kilometers north of Tikal, an important site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Excavations have also discovered an observatory, pyramids, altars, stess and pottery fragments.
Researchers believe the country served as a ritual center for about 1,000 years, before it was abandoned and then re -seized around 800 AD.
