New study shows ear piercing was a key childhood rite in ancient Maya society

A recent study offers a fresh perspective on what appears to have been an early rite of passage in ancient Maya childhood: the piercing and gradual stretching of the ears. Drawing on centuries of Maya artistic representations, the research suggests that ear ornaments were far more than decorative items...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/12/ear-piercing-was-a-key-childhood-rite-in-maya-society/

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Archaeologists uncover oldest and largest Maya monument built to represent the cosmos

Until recently, Aguada Fénix had lain hidden beneath the fields and forests of southeastern Mexico for millennia. The vast earthen platform, built more than 3,000 years ago, represents the oldest and largest monumental structure known in the Maya region...

More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/11/largest-maya-monument-built-to-represent-the-cosmos/

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Ancient Maya astronomers accurately predicted solar eclipses centuries in advance

A recent study has decoded how Maya astronomers forecasted solar eclipses with astonishing accuracy more than a thousand years ago, revealing a sophisticated system of mathematics and observation that kept their predictions accurate for centuries...

More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/10/maya-astronomers-predicted-solar-eclipses/

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Ancient Maya monument reveals Ix Ch’ak Ch’een, the 6th-century queen who ruled the city of Cobá

Archaeologists have identified Ix Ch’ak Ch’een as one of the rulers of the ancient Maya city of Cobá, and uncovered the city’s dynastic history during the 6th century CE. The discovery comes from the “Foundation Rock,” a limestone monument found near a natural water reservoir...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/10/ix-chak-cheen-queen-who-ruled-the-city-of-coba/

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Submerged Maya salt-making compound in Belize reveals the lives of ancient salt producers

Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved Late Classic Maya household complex buried on the Punta Ycacos Lagoon seafloor in southern Belize, offering an entirely new look at how ordinary Maya families lived and worked more than 1,200 years ago...

More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/10/submerged-maya-salt-making-compound-in-belize/

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Maya hand signs on 1,300-year-old altar may reveal hidden calendar dates and deeper meaning

For over 1,300 years, Altar Q in Copán, the Maya capital of Honduras, has fascinated scholars. Carved in the late eighth century, it shows 16 rulers of Copán on its four sides, together with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Long accepted as a dynastic history, it is now the focus of a new theory...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/09/maya-hand-signs-on-altar-hidden-dates/

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Maya children’s teeth with jade inlays reveal rare ancient practice, study finds

Archaeologists have made a surprising discovery in Maya cultural traditions: decorative jade dental inlays, a practice previously thought to be exclusive to adults, have now been found in the teeth of children...

More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/08/maya-childrens-teeth-with-jade-inlays/

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