Mayan ‘Old Lord’ Marking Discovered in Yucatan – History

Salvage excavations along the Maya Train Project’s path have uncovered a limestone carving of an anthropomorphic face with “elder lord” features dating to the Mayan Preclassic period (2500 BC to AD 200) in the small community of Serapapakal, 25 miles from the Yucatan capital of Merida.

It is approximately 45 centimeters (17.7 inches) tall and depicts a human-like face with deep eye sockets, a flat nose and slit lips that accentuate a pronounced chin. These characteristics usually represent older characters. The sculpture was found outside an ovoid structure measuring approximately 5.8 x 4.3 meters (19 x 14 feet), which had double walls made of limestone blocks. The entrance is 80 cm (31.5 inches) wide and faces the west sun. It is flanked by large rocks that serve as door frames, and the thick walls suggest there may have been a bench inside.

The sculpture is found behind the north jamb, between the thick walls next to the bench area. This layout was carefully thought out to designate the building as a place of respect at the entrance. This means the structure is not a residential building. INAH archaeologists believe it was used for ceremonial or communal purposes – community meetings or ceremonies – and that there were several phases of construction and occupation. The placement of the statue suggests that it is a marker or welcomes people to the space.

The sculptural marker of the elder lord is not an isolated object but a key component of a complex of buildings used for specific and high-level community events. Its findings will decisively help to support comparative analyses, provide more precise methods that will help to understand the use of space and the nature of the activities carried out in these complexes, providing new clues to the socio-political and religious practices of the ancient Maya people of the Preclassic period in northwest Yucatán.