Mexican archeologists recover ancient monolith

recovered a limestone slab from viceregal times that is characterized by the size of a huge feline and that is thought to date from 1638 .

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Through a night operation, the monolith , which weighs almost a tonne , arrived at the Conservation Section of INAH’s Center in Yucatán .

“As an institution, we thank the Siqueff family that had the slab for decades and is now interested in its restoration and to make it available to the public as a legacy that will help us preserve Mérida’s ancient history,” asserted Eduardo López Calzada , director of INAH’s Center in Yucatán.

The anthropologist asserted that the monolith , protected by the Federal Law of Artistic and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites , will undergo a restoration process that will last approximately a month and a half.

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Then, he said, it could be included in the repertory of Yucatán’s Regional Anthropology Museum in the Cantón Palace, located in Paseo Montejo .

Restaurateur Natalia Hernández Tangarife

commented that the limestone stab, of 131 cm long, 112 cm tall and 33 cm wide, shows a full-length feline carved in relief.

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On the right side of the animal, there is an inscription with the word “ TIGER ” written over another legend, almost invisible at plain sight, that read: “ Yucatán, land of beasts .”

INAH staff has used the book “ Mérida’s Sentimental Geography: The Stones that Talk ” for the historical study and interpretation of the slab. This publication is from the 1930s by Oswaldo Baqueiro Anduze (1902-1945).

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