INAH has recorded and preserved 1,746 movable items, 791,475 ceramic fragments and 679 vessels belonging to the Maya civilization. (INAH)

The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico and the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (It is called) inaugurated this Friday, February 17 the exhibition “To get on the train”, which, according to the dependencies “accounts for the prehispanic cultural wealth and diversity and the current state of the Mexican Southeast, as well as the work in progress in terms of environmental conservation for the start of the Maya Train, which will bring together five entities in the country”.

The sample which is now on display at Los Pinos, is made up of recovered archaeological pieces by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). All were found during the rescue operations that accompanied the construction of the railway work, as well as images that documented the process.

“Get on the Train” will be open to the public completely free of charge until the next 12th of Marchin the cultural complex Los Pinos.

At the inauguration, the Secretary of Culture of the Government of Mexico, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, also participated, she said that the Mayan train could be considered a cultural corridor, since on its route it will be possible to admire “all the richness and cultural diversity that indigenous peoples have kept alive,” she said.

“What we are going to see in this exhibition are these roots that emerge and were just waiting for the right moment”

Likewise, the director general of Fonatur, Javier May Rodríguez, pointed out that the Train “will probably change the destiny of the peoples of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche Yucatán and Quintana Roo”. He called the work historic, as it is the largest railway project in the world and has a comprehensive plan “to save and protect archaeological riches”, he explained.

The INAH exhibits 11 pieces of ceramics from the registered and excavated sites of the first four sections of the Train route.  (@TrenMayaMX)
The INAH exhibits 11 pieces of ceramics from the registered and excavated sites of the first four sections of the Train route. (@TrenMayaMX)

He also pointed out that with the Mayan train, “the Protected natural areas they increase in the southeast and will be the largest reserve in Mexico and the second after the Amazon.

For his part, the Director General of INAH, Diego Prieto Hernández, assured: “We have found countless remains of a large number of towns, villages, buildings, as well as funerary, hydraulic and agricultural systems in this complex region, jungle and also calcareous soils.We accompanied the construction consortia, taking care of the cultural heritage and, at the same time, facilitating the work”.

This event was also attended by the Undersecretary for Cultural Development, Marina Núñez Bespalova; the director of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, Homero Fernández Pedroza; the Undersecretary of National Defense, Major General, Agustín Radilla Suastegui; as well as the Executive Director of the Tamaulipas Institute for Culture and the Arts, Brenda Denisse de la Cruz López; the representative of the government of the State of Yucatán in Mexico, Adalberto Palma Ruiz Galindo.

In addition to the director of the National Center for the Preservation of Railway Cultural Heritage, Teresa Márquez Martínez; the General Director of Cultural Relations, Esther Hernández Torres; the director of Canal 22, Pável Granados Chaparro; the director of Cencalli, Casa del Maíz y la Cultura Alimentaria, Genoveva de la Peña Chávez; the executive coordinator of the National Auditorium, Eduardo Amerena Lagunes, the general director of Radio Education, Jesús Alejo Santiago, among other officials.

Workers operate machinery during construction of Section 4 of the New Mayan Train Line, near Uayma, Yucatán.  REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Workers operate machinery during construction of Section 4 of the New Mayan Train Line, near Uayma, Yucatán. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Archaeological pieces on display

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) will exhibit in “Get on the Train”, a total of 11 ceramic pieces, in the “Original heritage. Archaeological discoveries in the Maya train”. These are emblematic objects of the sites identified and excavated in the first four sections of the route, testimonies of the evolution of the Maya region for more than a millennium. They are located in the period between the year 50 BC and 1050 AD

The finds arrived in Mexico City in perfect condition, as they were in charge of the National Coordination of Museums and Exhibitions and the Directorate of Archaeological Rescue, of the National Coordination of Archeology of the INAH.

It is these dependencies that made possible the transfer of this selection of works from the Yucatan Peninsula for its assembly in the Casa Miguel Alemán of the Cultural Center Los Pinos.

It should be recalled that to date, the INAH has recorded and kept thousand 746 pieces of furniture, 791 thousand 475 ceramic fragments and 679 containers which provide data on aspects of the past of this civilization. This information, which ranges from the daily way of life, to the rites of the elite and to the funerary customs of the ancient Maya, is shared through the pieces chosen for this exhibition.

Stela 18, discovered in October 2022, in Uxmal, Yucatán.  (@TrenMayaMX)
Stela 18, discovered in October 2022, in Uxmal, Yucatán. (@TrenMayaMX)

When the exhibition opened to the public, it was possible to observe, right in the center of the room, the Stela 18discovered in October 2022, in uxmalYucatán, based on work related to the Archaeological Areas Improvement Program (Promeza).

A pot with spout and a bowl stand out, shaped by Mayan hands between the years 50 BC and 250 AD, which accompanied a funeral. These and other pieces are cited as an example of the mastery of pottery achieved by this culture during the Classic period (250-1050 AD), such as a miniature vase with a face modeled on tlaloca glass with the representation of a character with specific clothes, a headdress and a plate at the bottom of which you can see the bird Oxlajuun Chanaal Kuy during the flight.

The exhibition is completed by a deer bone carved in the image of a supernatural birdwhich was part of the funeral of Kalom Uk’uw Chan Chakruler of Dzibilchaltún, discovered in structure 42 of this archaeological area, in 1998.

The archaeological pieces will remain in the Miguel Alemán House of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, until March 12, 2023, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The treasures found on the route of the Maya Train

Throughout its seven sections that run through the Yucatan Peninsula, the National Institute of Anthropology in History (INAH)—during his exploration and salvage duties—he found more than 35 thousand monumentsof which, by the end of 2022, nearly 4,500 had already been intervened.

Mayan Train Section 2 (INAH)
Mayan Train Section 2 (INAH)

According to information provided by the director of INAH, Diego Prieto Hernandezat least until last February 13 have been recorded and kept 7 thousand 188 propertiesin which there are albarradas, remains of houses, squares and other structures of ancient Mayan cities.

In addition to 8 thousand 878 shards (field containers), as well as a human burial and 588 natural features (cenotes or flooded caves).

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