Archaeologists have discovered a lost, pre-Hispanic city in southern Mexico that contains, among other finds, a rock engraving of a monkey seemingly identical to one discovered thousands of miles away in Peru.
A team of researchers made the discovery of the ancient settlement in the city of Acapulco, which is located on the country's Pacific Coast, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
The archaeological zone is located around 8 miles from the center of the city, which is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
The city covers an area of around 330 hectares (815 acres), according to archaeologists. The site may date back to around 400 A.D. and is thought to have been abandoned between 900 A.D. and 1200 A.D.
Among the key finds at the site, researchers have identified 38 petroglyphs at the site, as well as circular calendars and the representation a rain deity.
Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface using a range of techniques.
One of the petroglyphs found at the site depicts a monkey and is identical to one created by the iconic Nazca culture from Peru.
The Nazca culture flourished for hundreds of years—primarily in the first millennium A.D.—in parts of southern Peru. They are known for the Nazca Lines—huge designs etched into the desert, some of which measure hundreds of feet across.
In August this year, researchers announced the discovery of another ancient settlement that could be more than 1,300 years old in Mexico.
Archaeologists from the country's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) uncovered the lost pre-Hispanic town in the Costa Grande region of Guerrero state, located in the southwest of the country along the Pacific coast.
The settlement, which is located on communal land, is spread out over an area of roughly 29 hectares (72 acres), according to the INAH.
Archaeologists decided to investigate the patch of land after locals alerted them to the existence of several mounds—likely of pre-Hispanic origin—at the location.
And in June, INAH announced the discovery of an ancient Maya city hidden in the jungles of southern Mexico.
The site is located in the Balamkú ecological reserve in the central part of Campeche state, INAH said in a statement.
The site, which contains several large pyramidal structures, was likely an important center in the region during the classic period of the Maya civilization (around 250-1,000 A.D.), according to archaeologists.
The Maya civilization dominated what is now southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and the western areas of El Salvador and Honduras for more than 3,000 years until the era of Spanish colonization.
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Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
