They plan to reopen the archaeological zone of Muyil and its most recent findings to the public

Tulum, QR., The archaeological zone of Muyil, near Tulum, will reopen its doors this year with the possibility of visiting two architectural groups that were recently excavated and investigated, providing data on the occupation of the Late Classic period at the site. Mayan culture, more associated with a later era, informed The Day the archaeologist Salvador Llamas, responsible for the site.

The researcher said that Muyil was closed during the second part of last year, while the construction of a service area was carried out, with a ticket office, parking and toilets, as well as the installation of signage. It is expected to provide service to the public in February.

The site, also known as Chunyaxché, receives visitors mostly from abroad. Llamas highlighted that If before they liked the attention they were given, with the new infrastructure they will feel much better.

The archaeologist commented that of the buildings that will be put up for public viewing, one set is ceremonial and the other is civic, administrative or domestic. Muyil was a very small archaeological zone: it took 30 or 45 minutes to explore..

He said that in a recent research season led by archaeologist Enrique Alcalá, thanks to the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones, abandonment offerings and others were found in the ancient city within the construction of some buildings.

Llamas explained that the work was carried out around the entire sacbé 2, a white path that comes from the lagoon and connects important architectural groups of the site. The first group investigated brings together architectural monuments, with civic-administrative uses, made up of three bases and two united altars.

Towards the northern sector, another space was freed up: the entire large platform, considered both administrative and housing for the elite of that city. A very long basement was found, 18 meters long, with walls more than two meters wide, where the warehouses that provided food were located. It is a residential area that was not known.

He highlighted that a temazcal characteristic of the time was discovered. When they removed the slabs from the collapsed vault, they found a complete ceramic cup, which had the face of a god with a plume, diadem and earflaps, and a somewhat serious face. Inside was a complete necklace, with a pectoral of carved seashells and jade finials. It was a discovery that we did not expect..

The above, Salvador Llamas continued, He gave us very relevant information. First, that temazcal was a place of worship and they made an offering of abandonment to it. It was at least 500 years old..

Furthermore, in the group of buildings at the entrance a basement was excavated where a flint knife about 30 centimeters long and 10 wide; impressive, carved, majestic, embedded between the stones.

Llamas summarized that in terms of temporalities We are going to see more architectural elements from the Late Classic, because the architectural elements that were best known in Muyil were from the Postclassic and Late Postclassic, such as the buildings of the entrance group and the castle, of the Costa Oriental style. With new research we can now learn more about Late Classic architecture.