�������t¶��

The piece, which is characterized by an earth-colored mix of unfinished concrete that both complements and contrasts with the building, is imprinted with pieces of Castillo Deball’s feathered serpent drawings inspired by ancient murals from �ձ�dzپ���ܲ���á��, Mexico.

The ancient Mesoamerican city of �ձ�dzپ���ܲ���á��, located in modern-day Mexico, and the Maya city of Tikal, also located in Petén, were both larger and more influential than the relative backwater of Chochkitam.

“But if you read between the lines, that’s what it means—these were vassals, probably of Tikal directly and �ձ�dzپ���ܲ���á�� indirectly.”

“Everything suggests to me that this was a Maya king who was part of a network of Maya royalty in the sphere of influence of Tikal and �ձ�dzپ���ܲ���á��,” says Estrada-Belli.

So it’s too soon to compare the Upano cities with societies such as the Classic Maya and Teotihuacan, which were “much more complex and more extensive,” says Thomas Garrison, an archaeologist and geographer at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in lidar and wasn’t involved in the work.