Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient wooden boat in southern Mexico. The boat is believed to be more than 1,000 years old.

The small boat, more than five feet long, was found almost unrepaired. The boat sank in a freshwater pond near the ruined Mayan city.

Mexico's antique company (Inah) says the small boat may have been used to fetch water or to store ritual items.

This rare discovery came to light when construction began on a new tourist railway line, the maya Rail.

Inah said in a news release that it had also found ceramics, a ceremonial knife and murals painted on the wall of a rock pool called a naturally occurring cenotaph.

Experts from the university of Sorbonne in paris are helping to determine how old the boat is and what type it belongs to.

A three-dimensional model, such as a small boat, is to be developed. This model will allow you to make similar models. Inah said it would also help with the study.

Before the Spanish conquest of the region, the Mayar civilization flourished. Many parts of what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and honduras were ruled by the Mayan civilization in their time.

The small boat that was discovered is estimated to date from approximately 830 - 950 AD. This was the time when the golden age of the Mayar civilization was coming to an end.

It was at that time that the Mayans faced a major political upheaval. To this day no personal theory regarding the disorder of the Mayans is widely accepted.

But war, drought, and population growth may have been the main reasons for their demise.

The government of President Andres Manuel Lopez has launched a multi-billion dollar 'Maya Rail' project. The train is scheduled to pass through five provinces in southern Mexico.

Proponents of the project say it will help alleviate poverty in the region. But critics of the plan argue that it risks damaging the local ecology and places of historical significance that have yet to be discovered.