Researchers discover ancient palace compound in Mexico

New Delhi: A palace complex believed to be the home and business centre for the ruler of an ancient empire dating back to over 2,000 years has been discovered in Mexico.

The palace has been dated to approximately 2,100 to 2,300 years ago, a time before the Aztecs, researchers said.

The palace is well preserved and covered about 2,790 square meters. It not only had living quarters for the ruler and his family, but business offices, a staircase, a dining area and a place to perform sacrifices.

The construction techniques used by the builders suggest the building was designed ahead of time and that it was likely a single construction effort that would have taken a lot of organisation, researchers said.

Its large size demonstrated that the ruler had a lot of manpower at his disposal.

The researchers also note that personal details are still evident in some parts of the palace, such as the cistern for collecting rainwater in the residential quarters and the drain carved into stone to bring in fresh water and remove waste.

The civilisation that existed in Oaxaca is believed to be among the earliest states to come into existence in Mesoamerica.

Researchers Elsa Redmond and Charles Spencer of American Museum of Natural History suggest that their findings at the palace site backs up that theory.

The Oaxaca Valley near the southern tip of Mexico has been offering up clues of past civilisations for several decades - a team has been working at the El Palenque site in particular since 1993, 'Phys.Org' reported.

The El Palenque palace exhibits certain architectural and organisational features similar to the royal palaces of much later Mesoamerican states described by Colonial-period sources, researchers said.

(With Agency inputs)