Divers find grisly Mayan blade used for SACRIFICE along with over half a thousand relics in ancient lake, including those to the God of Rain, Chaak
An archaeology team of PhD divers from Poland has discovered sacrificial and ritualistic Mayan remains in an underwater resting place in lake Petén Itzá, Guatemala.
Diving 160 meters down, the team discovered various monuments detailing ritual ceremonies that took place in the ancient Mayan capital, Nojpeten.
Beginning in August last year, the results of the Guatemalan leg of the expedition have only just been released now.
Located on what is known today as Flores Island, Nojpeten was the last Mayan city to fall against Spanish invaders in the 17th century. The citizens of the ancient city resisted European conquerors for around 200 years.
Lead archaeologist Magdalena Krzemień from Jagiellonian University in Kraków told the Polish Press Agency (PAP): "In addition to the ancient Mayan capital, we have discovered more than half a thousand relics, including objects sunk during religious rituals."
The Mayans also believed that water portals were related to Chaak - the God of Rain, who represents fertility. "That is why a large number of various kinds of sacrificial gifts went to water reservoirs over the centuries," adds project leader, Popek.
Hoping to find some historical whisper of this great battle the scientists have decided to keep digging to search for evidence.
Popek emphasizes that all the discoveries were located just on the surface of the ancient lake bed.
"If we discovered so many objects on the surface, then probably at the time of the excavations we would have encountered even more of them. Therefore, we plan to continue our research," said Krzemień.
