A MAYAN mystery was solved after the FBI helped an archaeologist’s 20-year-long hunt for stolen artwork in San Diego, a bombshell documentary revealed.
The Mayans were a civilisation known for their architecture, mathematics and astronomical beliefs, who date back to as far as 2000BC. Many of their impressive constructions can still be seen in the jungles of southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and western parts of Honduras. Archaeologists are constantly racing against time to get their hands on a precious piece of history before local looters swarm in.
Ian Graham, who passed away in 2017, spent 20 years trying to piece together a huge Mayan monument after finding remains in the Guatemala jungle in 1967.
He revealed during Amazon Prime’s “Mayan Treasure Hunters” documentary how he managed to recreate the monument.
He detailed on the 1990 series: “Gradually I reassembled the whole thing [on paper].
“I ended up with a plan on the whole stelae [Mayan monument], which showed a pattern of cuts that exactly match it.
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“But if you look at the stelae, you notice at the bottom underneath the figure’s feet, there are some little, rounded things, suggesting there was more sculpture down below.”
Mr Graham then revealed how, with help from the FBI, he was able to find missing parts in San Diego, US, and reassemble the relic.
He added: “I tracked that down to four pieces that were photographed by the FBI in a house in San Diego.
“But they had the pieces wrongly assembled so it made no sense at all.
“I was able to put them in the right order revealing a monster with what looked like earplugs sticking out his head.”
The sculpture can now be found shown in the Cleveland Museum of Art and Mr Graham’s work has also sent a message to local criminals.
Illegal looters now avoid traceable artwork, instead looking for unique artefacts that can be sold to an American black market.
However, they must still beat archaeologists and local governments to the sites if they wish to be successful.
