Photo by Jacinto Kanek (EFE).

Anthropologists have discovered cave paintings near Chichen Itza believed to predate the Maya civilization by more than 5,000 years.

The paintings are deep with a cave called Gruta Kab in Kaua, a small village between Chichen Itza and Valladolid. The cave is 4 to 5 kilometers long, and winds 8 meters under the surface.

Some 60 figures have been found so far, according to Carlos Augusto (in photo above), the administrative secretary of the School of Anthropological Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. The “paint” used is “cankab” red soil treated as a pigment, rich in iron oxide. According to experts, it adheres well to walls.

There are depictions of human figures praying (arms extended upward and squatting), men hunting with spears in hand, animals and birds, and impressions of hands in positive and negative, he said. The style indicates they are of great antiquity, pre-dating the Maya civilization which flourished in this region from around the time of Christ to about 1500.

Augusto also reported there are more modern paintings in the cave, including one believed to be the Maya symbol “Ajau.” Anthropologists have also found shards of pottery from the Maya era, indicating the cave had been used over many millennia. There we also representations of crosses, possibly indicating the cave was used after the time of the Spanish Conquest.

Even though the cave is difficult to get into, the anthropologists also found cave paintings of more recent vintage, in the form of graffiti.