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A Polish team of researchers investigating Lake Petén Itzá in Guatemala have recovered hundreds of artifacts from its waters, including evidence of rituals.

They discovered vessels containing animal bones and an obsidian blade – which may have been used to make blood sacrifices in the Central American country.

Off an island in the middle of the lake, further evidence has been found that could point to the final clash between the ancient Mayan civilisation and its Spanish conquerers.

Team leader Magdalena Krzemień, of Poland’s Jagiellonian University, said: “Water had very special and symbolic meaning in ancient Maya beliefs.

(Image: MICHAEL HAVIS)

(Image: MICHAEL HAVIS)

“It was thought to be the door to the underworld, the world of death – Xibalba, where their gods live.

“We planned our dives according to written sources and a little bit of intuition. We wanted to check places that seem to be very important in the history of the Itza Maya group.

“In most of them, we found a lot of artifacts.”

The team believe these artifacts were either dropped or lowered into the lake by the Maya as an offering to the gods.

(Image: MICHAEL HAVIS)

They also came across a Maya stone head on the island of Flores, which could date back to a final battle with the Spanish in 1697.

Magdalena added: “It seems we have confirmed the location of the last battle between the Maya and Spaniards, and we probably found the area of the ritual activity of the Itza.

“That is a great beginning to the process of better learning their customs, beliefs and culture.”

The ceremonial relics from the lake-bed are pre-Columbian, dating from 150BC up to 800AD.

(Image: MICHAEL HAVIS) (Image: MICHAEL HAVIS)

However, Magdalena emphasises that her team have only undertaken reconnaissance of the sites instead of complete excavations.

She said: “We should make underwater excavations to be sure if the area we found these objects in was the area of ceremonial activity.

“Right now we can't be sure about the context of the objects, and whether their location is not the result of water movement or other factors.

“But if we can confirm that, in this area, the ritual objects were found in situ – and we think two ceremonial objects were – at least one part of the lake could be called sacred.”