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Guatemala

Left; Stele of a standing dignitary, with likely tobacco leaves his hair. Right; El Baul, acropolis site Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala. under excavation 2006 Inset; 3 of the vessel tested in the study 	Source: Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos/Antiquity Publications Ltd

Proof Ancient Mesoamericans Drank Sacred Tobacco-Infused Liquids is Found

In a new chemical analysis performed on ceramic vases recovered during excavations at the ancient metropolis of Cotzumalhuapa in southwestern Guatemala, a team of researchers from Yale University and...
Undated photo of a mosaic jade mask discovered inside an ancient Maya tomb dating back 1,700 years in Chochkitam, Guatemala, near the borders of what are now Mexico and Belize, on July 1, 2022. Source: Francisco Estrada-Belli/Tulane University

Haunting Jade Mask and Inscribed Bones Unearthed In Guatemala

An ancient Maya tomb, dating back 1,700 years, has been uncovered at the site of Chochkitam in Guatemala, near the border of modern-day Mexico and Belize. This looted, pyramid tomb revealed an...
El Mirador, Guatemala. Source: US Embassy Guatemala / Flickr.

Mayan Jungle Ruins in Guatemala Could Become Major Tourist Attraction (Video)

Deep within the lush, tropical Guatemalan forest lies the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador , a site over 2,000 years old. However, it's not just an archaeological treasure; it's at the center of a...
Guatemalan Mayan woman making chocolate with traditional grinding stone. Source: nobito_gt / Adobe Stock.

Creating Guatemala’s Food of the Gods – Chocolate (Video)

Guatemala , a land celebrated for its coffee and avocados, holds a lesser-known but equally delightful claim to fame: its chocolate . The region of Chocolá, characterized by frequent rains and...
Deer Dance, Mexico. (Public Domain)

Guatemala’s Ancient Deer Dance of the Gods (Video)

Mayan dances hold a significant place in Guatemalan history and religion, with the ancient ritual of the deer dance playing a particularly pivotal role. Celebrated on the Feast of Corpus Christi, a...
Complex of pyramids identified at Maya site using LiDAR technology. Source: Hansen et. al - Cambridge University Press / CC BY 4.0

LiDAR Reveals Massive Mobilization of Labor Needed to Build Maya Site

Scientists have uncovered a massive 2,000-year-old Maya site hidden under a Guatemalan rainforest, comprising of nearly 1,000 urban settlements interconnected by 160 km (100 miles) of causeways...
Panel 3 from Cancuen, Guatemala, representing Maya king T'ah 'ak' Cha'an. Source: CC BY-SA 2.5

Fake it Till You Make it: ‘Divine’ Maya Kings Exaggerated their Greatness

In the hieroglyphic records they left behind, the rulers of the Classic Period Maya city known as Tamarindito bragged about their exalted status as “divine lords” chosen by the gods to rule over...
Looking over the jungle in Peten, Guatemala. Source: Adobe Stock / Xavier

New Discoveries At Guatemala's “Last” Maya City

Archaeologists have been digging at “the last” Maya city in Guatemala. Pre-Hispanic graves and artifacts have been found peppered with the shot from conquistadors’ rifles. The lush forests of...
Temple of the Great Jaguar at Tikal in Guatemala, where high levels of mercury have been found. Source: IBRESTER / Adobe Stock

Meta-Study Shows Ancient Maya were at High Risk of Mercury Poisoning

The Maya Empire dominated large swaths of Mesoamerica for more than 3,000 years. But despite their impressive record of survival, the Maya civilization did not live completely in harmony with their...
Earliest Maya Calendar Fragment Found in Guatemala

Earliest Maya Calendar Fragment Found in Guatemala

A new study published in the journal Science Advances has announced the discovery of the earliest known use of the Maya calendar. This discovery of the glyph “7 Deer” on mural fragments from deep...
INAH collaborates in the exploration of a submerged Maya city in Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala.	Source: INAH

Maya City Sunk in Lake Atitlán Explored By Underwater Archaeologists

In the placid waters of Central America’s deepest lake, an international team of scientists has been engaged in an exciting multi-year research project. Under the authority of Mexico’s National...
A view of the Tikal jungle landscape from Temple IV. It was in this dense forested area that LIDAR amazing found the Teotihuacan replicas hidden from archaeologists working at the famous site for more than 60 years.  Source: JuanLuis / Adobe Stock

Precise Teotihuacan Replicas Found With LiDAR at Maya City of Tikal

High-tech scanning around the ancient Maya city of Tikal in northern Guatemala has revealed the presence of some previously undiscovered ruins, dating back to the early first millennium AD. Using...
Maya Cities Had Unique Neotropical Forest Parks Says New Study

Maya Cities Had Unique Neotropical Forest Parks Says New Study

The Maya civilization was renowned for its progress in the fields of art, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, and the calendar systems. Part of their highly developed architecture is missing even...
The Oldest Maya Murals and Royal Violence at San Bartolo, Guatemala

The Oldest Maya Murals and Royal Violence at San Bartolo, Guatemala

In 2001, deep in the sweltering jungles of Guatemala, completely by chance, archaeologists stumbled into the substructure of a lost Maya pyramid, which was the discovery of San Bartolo. To their...
LiDAR Tech Unearths “Supertantalizing” Hidden Tikal Architecture

LiDAR Tech Unearths “Supertantalizing” Hidden Tikal Architecture

Back in 2016, a group of scholars and researchers from the Foundation of Maya Cultural and Natural Heritage (PACUNAM) set out to study the rainforests of Guatemala using LiDAR remote-sensing...
Maya Animation? Breathing Newfound Vitality into Ancient Maya Art

Maya Animation? Breathing Newfound Vitality into Ancient Maya Art

This article presents a major breakthrough in Maya art and archaeology, revealing the sophisticated way that Maya artists animated ancient artworks. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the...
2,000-Year-Old Maya Water Purification System Would Still Work Today

2,000-Year-Old Maya Water Purification System Would Still Work Today

The Maya were able to build a spectacular civilization in one of the World’s most inhospitable environments. How they were able to survive and flourish has always been something of a mystery. Now,...
Archaeologists Find Maya Sweat Bath ‘IS’ the Goddess of Creation

Archaeologists Find Maya Sweat Bath ‘IS’ the Goddess of Creation

Archaeologists exploring an ancient Maya sweat bath in Guatemala say not only did this sacred chamber represent the goddess of creation , but it is the actual deity herself manifested on earth. What...
The ancient Maya may have abandoned Tikal after its water became toxic. Source: Ingo Bartussek /Adobe Stock

The Ancient Maya Poisoned Tikal’s Drinking Water

Reservoirs in the heart of an ancient Maya city were so polluted with mercury and algae that the water likely was undrinkable. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati found toxic levels of...
Part of the Maya wall paintings featuring musicians dressed in European attire (three figures on the left) and a dancer in Maya dress (rightmost figure).  Image: R. Słaboński / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Stunning Maya Wall Paintings Uncovered in Guatemalan House

Remarkable Maya wall paintings have been found in Guatemala that are unparalleled in Central America . These newly discovered Maya murals are special because they contain both indigenous and Spanish...
The Maya goddess Ix Chel wearing a coiled snake headdress

Ix Chel’s Coiled Snake Headdress: Sacred Symbol of Maya Women

The coiled snake headdress is a significant artifact connected with Maya women, both ancient and modern. Images of ancient Maya women wearing this distinctive headdress have been found carved on...
One of the two stone monuments found in Guatemala.

Monuments Depicting Olmec 'Descent of the Grandfather' Myth and the Rise of Mayan Writing Found in Guatemala

Two large carved stone monuments found in an archaeological park in the Central American country of Guatemala have proven to be more significant than originally believed. The finds were made in the...
Cotzumalguapa: Evidence of Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact

Cotzumalguapa: Evidence of Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact

Thousands of years ago, an unknown culture carved and raised hundreds of stone stelas and sculptures on the Pacific coast of southern Guatemala. Together, they provide some of the strongest evidence...
Vandals carved graffiti into a famous Maya temple, the Tikal Temple II pyramid in Guatemala. Source: Simon Dannhauer /Adobe Stock

Vandals Have Carved Initials on a World-Famous Maya Temple

A shocking case of vandalism has been revealed in Guatemala. Two men, believed to be tourists, etched some graffiti on one of the most remarkable Maya temples in all of Central America. They were...

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