Coatepec, Mexico - A collection of archaeologists unearthed ancient ruins with signs of Mayan, pre-Hispanic culture with "never before seen" characteristics in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the discovery "very relevant" during her morning press conference on Friday, announcing that her government will allocate resources for the investigation and restoration of the site.
The site includes a circular stone platform unlike any other unearthed in that part of Mexico. Researchers also discovered a monolith depicting a figure with potential Mayan features, the National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) said.
"It's a unique, unprecedented finding," said Lino Espinoza Garcia, an archaeologist for the INAH and one of the coordinators for the Campo Viejo site near the town of Coatepec.
Dating back to the Early Classic period between 200 and 600 AD, the pre-Hispanic ruins include a flagstone and limestone platform adorned with almost squared lines or figures as well as the circular stones.
These attributes have never been recorded in this region of Mexico, the INAH said in a statement.
It's "a very particular structure," said Alberto Vazquez, the other archaeologist responsible for the site. "We don't have any records so far of a correlation with other sites."
The monolith stands more than six feet high, and almost five feet wide at its broadest point. At it's narrowest, it's a little more than two feet wide.
The stone depicts a scene of a symbolic character, according to experts, and could reflect the era of a great drought in the region.
"They are two characters who are requesting something, they have a bowl and are receiving something, we think it's a liquid. Obviously, in that context, it's a divine liquid, we think it would be water," Espinoza detailed.