Archaeologists in the Mexican jungles have made a significant discovery—an ancient structure that could be associated with the veneration of a Maya serpent deity.

A team of researchers from the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) unearthed this circular structure at the archaeological site of El Tigre, located in Campeche state within the Yucatán Peninsula.

El Tigre is believed to correspond to the remnants of an ancient Maya settlement known as Itzamkanac, which served as a regional capital and a vital trade center, Newsweek reported.

The inhabitants of this region belonged to the Chontal or Putun Maya culture, who held the serpent deity Kukulcán, among other gods, in reverence.

El Tigre has a rich history of occupation spanning over 2,000 years, continuing until the onset of Spanish colonization in the 16th century.

The recently revealed structure, dating from 1000-1200 A.D., bears the potential to be associated with the worship of Kukulcán, who is often equated with the Aztec wind god Quetzalcóatl, as stated in an INAH press release.

Written by B.C. Begley