WORKERS OF MEXICO'S NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY (INAH) WORK IN THE RESTORATION OF CHICHEN VIEJO DURING A MEDIA TOUR AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF CHICHEN ITZA, IN PISTE, MEXICO, IN FEBRUARY 2023. REUTERS/LORENZO HERNANDEZ
Good News: Researchers have revealed structures at the Chichen Itza archaeological site in southeast Mexico, believed to have been part of a housing complex inhabited by the Mayan city's "elite."
The sacred city, founded in the fifth century AD, is located in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
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- According to Francisco Perez Ruiz, an archaeologist, there were no known residential groups in Chichen Itza.
- The discovered housing complex represents "the first residential group where a ruler lived with his entire family."
- Known as Chichen Viejo, the site will be merged with the visitor area of the Chichen Itza archaeological site.
- The area has been under exploration since 1998, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- According to official data, Chichen Itza receives 2 million visitors each year.
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- The ancient city was founded as a Mayan pilgrimage center by the Itza, or "water sorcerers."
