In Oxkintok, the oldest Mayan settlement on the Puuc Route, a human body made of stone and decapitated was found. Could it be a warrior who was imprisoned or is it the god of fertility? Know the details of the discovery, here.
The Mayan culture It is one of the greatest mysteries of archeology at an international level; for the annihilation of their peoples because of the conquest of Mexicoturned the history of an entire civilization into a legend that has been unraveled over time.
After little more than 20 years almost in abandonment, Oxkintok, one of the largest and oldest Mayan settlements in the Yucatanhas been included in the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (PROMISE); which seeks to follow up on the research and restoration of pre-Hispanic settlementsas part of the recovery program for the construction of the mayan train.
Among the incredible discoveries that continue to be made in oxkintok (Considered the oldest and largest city on the Puuc Route) highlights the a sculpture hand carved from limestone in the shape of a humanwhich was found decapitated and is thought to be the representation of a warrior taken prisoner of war or a fertility deity.
The limestone sculpture is 1.68 meters tall and is dual in nature, which means it has 2 faces. It is believed that it could be the representation of a warrior taken prisoner or a revered deity to attract fertility.
The headless statue of Oxkintok A warrior, a prisoner or a deity?
Some researchers think that the headless statue found in Oxkintok it is some kind of mortuary offering either ritual. It is thought that it is the representation of a warrior who was taken prisoner to later be beheaded; fate that perhaps shared both the sculpture and the character for whom it was made.
The unique piece stands out for having 2 sides: One they identify as the warrior and the other that is thought to be the deity they have called Yum Keep, patron of fertility in Mayan cosmogony, since one of its main characteristics is the clear presence of a male reproductive system. Besides the beheading; The representation made of stone in one single piece does not have arms or legs either, which draws the attention of the researchers.
Next to the statue, hundreds of pieces of vessels and other representations of pre-Hispanic deities were found. Some have touches of pyrite, a mineral that is not typical of the region; this is because in the glory days of him; Oxkintok was a mega-city and the main center of commerce for the Puuc region and the Mayan world.