A group of Guatemalan archeologists discovered somewhat by luck a Maya monument that dates to the year 677, in the northern department of Petén. The monument has 140 hieroglyphs about the way life was in that era, Guatemala's minister of culture, Manuel Salazar, told Tierramérica.

The content of those writings “is quite interesting, because it tells us about the life of a leader and about the alliance between two towns,” said archeologist Edgar Escobedo.

The discovery was made during an expedition whose mission was to confirm reports of looting from another archeological site in Petén, 600 km north of the national capital, said Escobedo, director of the project.