玛雅洞穴中发现的1000年来“未动”的文物

Artifacts Discovered in Mayan Cave ‘Untouched’ for 1,000 years

Archaeologists have discovered about 200 Mayan artifacts in Mexico that appear to have been untouched for 1,000 years.

The artifacts were found inside a cave in ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula¹. Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology² and History announced the discovery during a press conference in Mexico City.

The lead researcher on the project is Mexican archaeologist Guillermo de Anda. He called the cave a “scientific treasure.” He said the artifacts appear to date back to around A.D. 1000. "What we found there was incredible³, and completely untouched," he added.

The findings⁴ included bone pieces and burnt offering materials. In addition, incense⁵ burners, vases, plates and other objects were discovered. Some items included the likeness⁶ of Tlaloc, the rain god of central Mexico. The Mayans also had their own rain god, called Chaac. But experts believe the Mayans may have imported Tlaloc from other pre-Hispanic cultures.

The cave where the objects were found is part of a cave system known as Balamku or “Jaguar God.” The cave is about three kilometers east of the main pyramid of Kukulkan, which sits at the center of Chichen Itza. The stone city is described by the United Nations as “one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatán Peninsula.”

The cave sits about 24 meters underground, with areas connected by passages. De Anda said some of the passages were so narrow that researchers had to crawl⁷ in or pull themselves through.

He added that his team had so far explored about 460 meters of the cave, and is unsure how far it stretches. The team plans to continue exploring the cave. Artifacts found will not be removed, but studied inside, he said.

The team accidentally⁸ found the artifacts while exploring Chichen Itza in an effort to learn more about its underground water system. A series of sinkhole lakes, known as cenotes, can be seen on parts of the surface. But the archaeologists are exploring other water sites below pyramids, temples and other buildings.

Water was always central to the city. Its name in Maya means “at the mouth of the well of the Water Wizards.”

The cave had been discovered by local people 50 years ago, but was not fully⁹ explored, de Anda said. He hopes the new discovery will help scientists better understand the history, lives and beliefs of people who lived in Chichen Itza. He said archaeologists believe there may be another undiscovered cave hidden under the pyramid of Kukulkan that could be connected to the latest find.

“Let’s hope this leads us there,” de Anda said. “That is part of the reason why we are entering these sites, to find a connection to the cenote under the (Kukulkan).”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

artifact – n. a simple object made by people in the past

cave – n. a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff¹⁰ or hill or under the ground

incredible – adj. very good or exciting

incense – n. a substance that burns with a strong, sweet smell, often used in religious ceremonies

crawl – v. to move on your hands and knees

sinkhole – n. a hole in the ground, especially in an area of limestone rock, that has been formed naturally

1 peninsula   

n.半岛

参考例句：

• Dalian is in the south of the Liaodong Peninsula.大连位于辽东半岛南部。
• Korean peninsula lies to the west of Japan.朝鲜半岛在日本以西。

2 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

3 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

4 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

5 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

6 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

7 crawl   

vi.／n.爬行，匍匐行进；缓慢(费力)地行进

参考例句：

• We learn to crawl before we learn to walk.我们学会走路之前先要学会爬。
• She slowed the car to a crawl.她把车开得很慢。

8 accidentally   

adv.偶然地；意外地

参考例句：

• Mary accidentally let out that her mother had telephoned.玛丽无意中说出她的母亲来过电话。
• As I turned around,I accidentally hit him in the face.我转身时不经意撞了他的脸。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 cliff   

n.悬崖，峭壁

参考例句：

• The cliff edge is dangerous and should be railed.崖边危险，应该用栏杆围起来。
• He took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it.他把悬崖的高度估量一下后再攀登。