Mexico finds water tunnels under Mayan tomb in Palenque
Source: Associated Press
Mexico finds water tunnels under Mayan tomb in Palenque
Mark Stevenson, The Associated Press
Published Monday, July 25, 2016 5:09PM EDT
MEXICO CITY -- Archaeologists at the Mayan ruin site of Palenque said Monday they have discovered an underground water tunnel built under the Temple of Inscriptions, which houses the tomb of an ancient ruler named Pakal.
Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez says researchers believe the tomb and pyramid were purposely built atop a spring between 683 and 702 AD. The tunnels led water from under the funeral chamber out into the broad esplanade in front of the temple, thus giving Pakal's spirit a path to the underworld.
Attention has focused on the heavily carved stone sarcophagus in which Pakal was buried, and which some erroneously believe depict the Maya ruler seated at the controls of a spaceship.
But Gonzalez said Monday that carvings on a pair of stone ear plugs found in the grave say a god "will guide the dead toward the underworld, by submerging (them) into the water so they will be received there."
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/mexico-finds-water-tunnels-under-mayan-tomb-in-palenque-1.3001693
7962
(11,841 posts)hibbing
(10,098 posts)I always like to hear about new discoveries when you think every inch of the world has been explored and exploited.
Peace!
packman
(16,296 posts)It's alien technology
okasha
(11,573 posts)which the Maya portrayed as a corn stalk. Turn the photo to vertical, and this will be clearer.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,001 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,753 posts)The more we find, the more we learn. About ourselves and our ancestors. And our story keeps getting richer with every new find.
A very frustrating puzzle, with so many missing pieces.
ansible
(1,718 posts)There were mayan cities that fought the spaniards up to the 1600s. I'll never forgive Spain for utterly wiping out entire civilizations.
uhnope
(6,419 posts)and he was a Spanish teacher
Judi Lynn
(160,527 posts)Ancient canal system found under Mayan pyramid could be symbolic gateway to afterlife
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 26 July, 2016, 10:32am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 26 July, 2016, 10:32am
Mexican archaeologists have discovered a canal system under the pyramid containing the tomb of a Mayan ruler, suggesting the water tunnel could represent a symbolic path to the underworld.
The hydraulic system was found under the Temple of the Inscriptions, which houses the seventh-century tomb of Pakal The Great in Palenque, the ancient Maya city in southern Chiapas state, the National Anthropology and History Institute announced Monday.
The presence of these canals is very important and very significant, said Arnoldo Gonzalez, the directory of archaeology in Palenque.
An inscription in the tomb says that to be accepted in the underworld, the dead must be submerged in the water of a god called Chaac. The underground network of canals has different levels and goes in different directions, and it was built well before the pyramid, according to the national anthropology institute.
More:
http://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/1994845/ancient-canal-system-found-under-mayan-pyramid-could-be-symbolic
dembotoz
(16,802 posts)unless perhaps it was a massive still