New museum to be built on Mexico's Chichén Itzá

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Mar 2023 23:49

The museum is set to display some of the Yucatán Peninsula’s latest archaeological discoveries.

The step pyramid of Kukulcan stands in Chichén Itzá, a complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 (AP)

A new museum is set to be built at the ancient Maya complex Chichén Itzá in Mexico, which is the country's most visited archaeological site with roughly two million visitors a year, ARTnews reported on Monday.

The museum is still in its early development stages. It is expected to replace a small structure that had closed over 10 years ago.

The museum will display some of the Yucatán Peninsula’s latest archaeological discoveries.

Not a lot of details are known about the project yet. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said it had dedicated $14.4 million to building the museum and a new visitor center.

The museum's location is likely to include artifacts unearthed during excavations at or near the complex and selections from a massive trove of artifacts found during the construction of the Maya Train project, which costs $8 billion.

The project will traverse five states: Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, including a few pre-Columbian sites and airports.

The project might have adverse effects on the landscape, local communities, and regional history, archaeologists and environmentalists argued.

More than 25,000 immovable assets were uncovered in all sections of the railroad traversed so far. This includes ancient roads, a total of 431 ceramic pots, and 423 bones from human burials.

Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built between 500 and 600 CE and is considered one of the new seven wonders of the world.