Carved Limestone Slab Uncovered in Chichen Itza

YUCATÁN, MEXICO—According to a report in The Yucatán Times, a team of archaeologists led by José Francisco Osorio León and Francisco Pérez Ruiz of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History has found 1,000-year-old pieces of a limestone table inscribed with hieroglyphs and human figures in the so-called Temple of the Snails at Chichen Itza. Together, the stones measure about five feet long by four and one-half feet wide. The images include possible prisoners of war tied with ropes. Osorio León said the table was carved in Chichen Itza, and moved to the Temple of the Snails from another location. “It is thought that the stone table served as an altar,” he explained. To read about ritual objects found in a cave at Chichen Itza, go to "Maya Subterranean World," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2019.