Archaeologists stumble upon ancient Mexican ruins unlike anything seen before

COATEPEC, June 20 — Mexican archaeologists unearthed ancient ruins with signs of Mayan culture as well as “never before seen” characteristics in the eastern state of Veracruz.

President Claudia Sheinbaum called the discovery “very relevant” during her morning press conference yesterday, saying her government would allocate resources for the investigation and restoration of the site.

The site includes a circular stone platform unlike any other unearthed in that part of Mexico.

Researchers also discovered a monolith depicting a figure with potential Mayan features, the National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) said.

View of an archaeological site in Coatepec, Veracruz, June 18, 2026. — AFP pic

“It’s a unique, unprecedented finding,” said Lino Espinoza Garcia, an archaeologist for the INAH and one of the coordinators for the Campo Viejo site near the town of Coatepec.

Dating back to the Early Classic period between 200 and 600 AD, the pre-Hispanic ruins include a flagstone and limestone platform adorned with almost squared lines or figures as well as the circular stones.

These attributes have never been recorded in this region of Mexico, the INAH said in a statement.

A view shows an anthropomorphic whistle face handled by archaeologists working at an archaeological site in Coatepec, Veracruz, June 18, 2026. — AFP pic

It’s “a very particular structure,” said Alberto Vazquez, the other archaeologist responsible for the site.

“We don’t have any records so far of a correlation with other (ancient) sites.”

The monolith stands 1.88m (6.16 feet) high, 1.47m (4.82 feet) wide at its broadest point and 68cm (2.23 feet) at the narrowest.

A green stone ‘yoke’ depicting a batrachian is seen among objects found at an archaeological site and undergoing classification and documentation in Coatepec, Veracruz, June 18, 2026. — AFP pic

The stone depicts a scene of a symbolic character, according to experts.

“They are two characters who are requesting something, they have a bowl and are receiving something, we think it’s a liquid. Obviously, in that context, it’s a divine liquid, we think it would be water,” Espinoza detailed.

The archaeologist believes the image could reflect the era of a great drought in the region, which could explain why two members of the elite, one of them with Mayan traits, are depicted receiving the fluid from a divine entity. — AFP