A researcher from INAH revealed that they are working on a trail project involving residential area intervention that will include eco-archaeological tours.
The archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá, the most visited in Mexico and America with 2.3 million travelers a year, continues to reveal mysteries, with the discovery of the settlement called ‘Old Castle’, according to researchers explained this Saturday, February 15th.
The director of Archaeological Projects of Chichén Itzá (southern Mexico), José Osorio León, indicated that this new nucleus under investigation is located northwest of Chichén Viejo and is an area of important monuments, with special elements that date from the Late Classic (600 to 900 after Christ).
Furthermore, thanks to lidar technology (an acronym in English for Light Detection and Ranging), they know more details about the settlement of the “Old Castle,” which has an average area of 30 square kilometers.
Regarding the “Old Castle” site, Osorio León said that it is called this because the core has a pyramidal structure of considerable height, and it is one of the three tallest buildings in Chichén Itzá, after the Kukulcán Castle and El Osario, both open to the public.
Osorio León pointed out that it is not a Mayan palace, “as is thought of”, but a pyramidal structure with stepped access and an upper temple without previous interventions.
The “Old Castle” (Castillo Viejo), which was already known since the 1930s, is part of a complex that is the base of very particular palaces and temples, such as those found in the central part of Chichén Itzá.
The researcher pointed out that there was already an archaeological, topographical and architectural survey of the site, but with the lidar the records of that time were redefined, leading to the discovery of “new structures that give continuity to the settlement.”
By combining the new plans with the primary records, they also noticed that it is directly linked to the Sacbés (white roads) in Chichén Itzá, which could increase from 102 to 130 with those discovered in the new core.
The researcher revealed that at the same time, they are working on a trail project with the intervention of residential areas that will be included in eco-archaeological tours on the access route to Chichén Viejo “to learn about residential areas, where the population that built the great monuments lived.”
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