8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Sculpted Ancient Warrior Wearing A Serpent Helmet Found At Chichén Itzá

In the Casa Colorada archaeological complex within the premises of Chichén Itzá in Mexico, a sculpture of an anthropomorphic face with a snake headdress was found.

On Thursday, November 9th, during the morning conference of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the director of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Diego Prieto Hernández, reported on the discovery of said sculpture, made last Tuesday.

Dated to the Late Classic period, the rare sculpted artifact was discovered during excavations by the Archaeological Areas Improvement Program (Promeza), in “Temple 6 of Maudslay,” which is part of the Casa Colorada complex of Chichén Itzá.

The statue is 33 cm (13 in) tall and 28 cm (11 in) wide. It appears to depict a warrior wearing a feathered dress and a helmet shaped like a serpent with its jaws open, and scholars suspect it may have once been part of a larger sculpture built about 1,000 years ago.

The feathered serpent was one of the most important gods in Mesoamerica. The Aztecs called him Quetzalcoatl, and the ancient Maya called him Kukulkan. The K’iche’ group of Maya named him Gukumatz.

Sculpted head of Maya serpent warrior. Photo: INAH
Sculpted head of Maya serpent warrior. Photo: INAH

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Diego Prieto Hernández, described the head as a “very interesting find.” “It was customary to represent warriors with a headdress, with a kind of helmet,” he said. “In this case it is a snake figure from which the face of this character emerges, and a feathered headdress, so it is probably alluding to Kukulcán, the feathered serpent of the Maya.”

The pre-Columbian civilization was one of the most important Mayan centers of the Yucatán peninsula, flourishing between the ninth and thirteenth centuries AD. Chichén Itzá is thought to have housed tens of thousands of people at its peak.

Serpent warriors were people who dressed like serpents and participated in religious rituals in Maya culture. As go-betweens for the worlds of the supernatural and the earth, these warriors were essential to fertility and rain-related ceremonies. The elaborate headdresses, among other costumes, showcased the artistry of the Maya people and their deep spiritual and natural connections.

The site also has a pyramid called El Castillo rising about 30m (100ft) high. Photo: Chichén Itzá
The site also has a pyramid called El Castillo rising about 30m (100ft) high. Photo: Chichén Itzá

The excavations are part of an archaeological rescue project carried out in its conclusive phase in the works of the Mayan Train.

The warrior’s sculpture, unearthed at the Casa Colorada complex in Chichén Itzá, was discovered during this archaeological survey accompanying the railway line construction.

“As of Nov. 9, Prieto Hernández said that archaeological salvage work on the seven sections of the Maya Train had recovered 57,146 building structures, 1,925 movable artifacts, 660 human burials and 2,252 natural features associated with human settlements.

INAH

Related Articles

The rich-poor distinction draws attention in the nutrition of the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Pergamon

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The hegemony of wealth to the poor, arising from the ruler, elite structure, property ownership, unjust acquisition, and distribution of...

8,000-year-old Cave paintings found in Türkiye’s İnkaya Cave depict life and death

10 September 2023

10 September 2023

A number of cave paintings dating back some 8,000 years have been found in İnkaya cave in the Marmara province...

4,900-year-old Copper Age Fortress with a Violent Past and Odd Roman Burial Found in Spain

13 February 2025

13 February 2025

A remarkable 4,900-year-old Copper Age fortress, featuring a pentagon shape, three concentric walls, 25 bastions, and three ditches, has been...

Votive Altar Dedicated to Basque Deity Larrahe Found in Medieval Well

23 June 2024

23 June 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman-era votive altar dedicated to the ancient Basque deity Larrahe at the medieval monastery of Doneztebe...

Archaeologists uncovered a Roman settlement and what is thought to be an extremely rare early Medieval longhouse in North East Wales

16 August 2024

16 August 2024

The team from the University of Chester, Heneb: the Trust for Welsh Archaeology (Clwyd-Powys region), and the Portable Antiquities Scheme...

The inhabitants of Pınarbaşı Höyük in central Turkey may be the ancestors of the Boncuklu Höyük and Çatalhöyük neolithic human communities

27 July 2022

27 July 2022

The Department of Excavations and Researchs, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Turkey, attracted...

Intricate Design Revealed on 1100-Year-Old Gold-Inlaid Ritual Spear from Japan’s Island of the Gods

13 June 2025

13 June 2025

A recent archaeological breakthrough on Japan’s sacred Okinoshima Island has unveiled an ornately decorated iron spear from the late Kofun...

Denmark King’s spice cabinet discovered on Gribshunden

13 February 2023

13 February 2023

The Gribshunden, a 15th-century Danish royal warship, was uncovered to have been loaded with botanical materials, including the first archaeological...

Women buried with thick twisted bronze neck rings and buckets on their feet found in Ukraine

20 January 2024

20 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered the remains of men buried with weapons such as axes, spearheads, and swords, and women buried with thick...

In French Necropolis 21 Roman “curse tablets” discovered including one written in the extinct Celtic language of Gaulish

18 January 2025

18 January 2025

During the excavation of an eighteenth-century hospital in north-western France by researchers from the Orléans Archaeological Service, a 2,000-year-old necropolis...

Archaeologists opened an untouched Etruscan tomb

31 October 2023

31 October 2023

In Vulci Archaeological Park, central Italy, a 2,600-year-old intact double-chambered Etruscan tomb that was discovered in April and had remained...

The discovery of great importance for Urartian archeology in Çavuştepe castle: Discovered a horse skeleton with a bronze curb bit in its jaw

28 September 2023

28 September 2023

Archaeologists unearthed a horse skeleton with a bronze curb bit (a metal piece inserted into its mouth to guide the...

Polish archaeologists have uncovered nine crocodile heads within ancient Egyptian tombs of nobles

25 December 2022

25 December 2022

Polish archaeologists excavating the Theban Necropolis in Egypt discovered nine crocodile heads hidden inside two tombs belonging to high-ranking nobles....

A Viking ship discovered at Salhushaugen Cemetery in Norway

22 April 2023

22 April 2023

Archaeologists in Norway, a 20-meter-long Viking ship has been discovered using georadar on a mound previously believed to be empty....

Olmec reliefs show Ancient Olmec Leaders In Trance-Like State Roaring Like Jaguars

14 August 2022

14 August 2022

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered two carved reliefs from the late Olmec period (900-400 B.C.) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, southeastern Mexico...