Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced that they had uncovered a canoe appearing to be of Mayan origin during the excavations carried out as part of the Mayan Train project under construction in the country's Yucatan Peninsula.
Experts believe the canoe to be more than a thousand years old.
The canoe, which is thought to date to the time period between A.D. 830 and 950, has survived to the present day in almost perfect condition.
Reportedly used for water transport or to carry the prized possessions of the deceased in accordance with Mayan tradition, the canoe measures 160 centimeters (5.25 feet) in length, 80 centimeters in width and 40 centimeters in height.
INAH official Helena Barba Meinecke stated that this is the first time a complete canoe has been discovered in such a well-preserved state in the region where the Mayan civilization flourished. Meinecke stated that fragments of such canoes have previously been found in Quintana Roo, Guatemala and Belize.
