Archaeologists from Mexico have found a canal system under the pyramid that houses the tomb of an ancient Mayan ruler. According to scientists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, this tunnel could have been created as a symbolic path to the underworld. Arnoldo Gonzalez, professor at the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, says the presence of such channels has become important.
The hydraulic system was found under the Temple of the Inscriptions, where the tomb of K'inich Hanaab Pakal I the Great is located. The structure was built in Palenque, a symbol for the ruins of a large Mayan city in northeastern Chiapas, Mexico.
The underground canal network has received different levels and several different directions. Experts from the National Institute of Anthropology are confident that this underground "world" was built even before the pyramid was erected.
It is interesting that even today water passes through the main canal. It is believed that its source is a natural spring, but experts were unable to calculate the length of the tunnel and determine where it starts. In the next studies, archaeologists plan to do this.
Gonzalez adds that the canals may have been part of a sewer or water system. He says: "We must consider the fact that the ancient inhabitants of Palenque could have created a hydraulic system to represent the path that led Pacal to the waters of the underworld."
Apostolova-Polishchuk Nadezhda