Conservation work proceeds for pre-Hispanic artificial island, Mayan temple along Maya Train route
Ancient Mayans built the island more than 1500 years ago
Published on Friday, September 30, 2022
The federal Culture Ministry and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced this month that they are continuing conservation and maintenance work on two of the most famous archeological sites along the proposed section 2 of the Maya Train. One of the sites, Jaina island, is an artificial island built by the Mayans around the year 300, according to archeologists.
Environmentalists are strongly opposed to the work being done on these sites, citing the destruction of the local ecology, the destruction of built structures, and its effects on local fauna. INAH, however, said they are taking care to safeguard the local environment and that the island’s opening to the public is still a long way off. INAH’s current work involves topographical surveys of the island and improvements on the existing structures.
One of the major finds during the course of this work has been the pre-Hispanic dock used by the island inhabitants. The federal government plans to build a bridge to connect the island to the mainland, but INAH said in a press release that it would be built so as to have the least impact possible on the environment, and be used only by the scientists and archeologists that come to study the island’s history and site custodians.
The island has been registered with INAH since the 1980s, when thousands of graves were found at the site. Excavation uncovered ceramic figures and other artifacts, leading archeologists to believe that the site may have been an elite Mayan burial site.
More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/conservation-artificial-island-mayan-temple/
Jaina Island
Jaina Island is a small limestone island in the Yucatan Peninsula about 50 miles north of the city of Campeche. Jaina was once an elite Maya burial site with an estimated 20,000 graves, of which about 1,000 have been excavated, and it is famous for the ceramic figurines which are found in the graves. The graves contain the human remains with one or more ceramic figurines on their chest or held in their hands as well as glassware, slate ware, pottery, hand woven cotton mats or other ceremonial objects. The island was first settled about 300 AD and was abandoned about 1200 AD. At present there is no park, no facilities, and it is closed to the public.
http://www.mayan-ruins.org/jaina-island/
Totally unexpected images from Jaina Island culture:
https://tinyurl.com/yz2ajxj9