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Archaeologists have discovered a huge Mayan sculptured head in Guatemala, suggesting a little-known site in the jungle-covered Peten region may once have been a significant city.
The stucco sculpture, which is 3 metres wide and 3.5 metres tall, was buried for centuries at the Chilonche ruins, close to the border with Belize.
The recent discovery of the head, which dates from the early Classic period between 300 to 600 AD, means the site is much older than previously thought.
The Maya often constructed new buildings using older ones as foundations.
Polytechnic University of Valencia Professor Gaspar Munoz, part of the team of archaeologists that found the head, says the sculpture could have links to Mayan mythology.
"It could be an imaginary being, something from the underworld, perhaps linked to a Mayan deity," he said.
Unlike Guatemala's famous Mayan cities of Tikal and El Mirador, little excavation has been carried out at Chilonche.
Guatemala's Peten region is home to dozens of Mayan ruins, but the jungle-covered area is plagued by looters, poachers and smugglers taking drugs to Mexico.
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