Archaeologists clearing the way for a hotel forming part of a multibillion dollar tourist rail project in southern Mexico discovered a tomb with the remains of a young man and various offerings, Newsweek reports.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said the tomb appeared to date back to the Classical period between 400 and 700 A.D.

The offerings buried with him suggest that he was a figure of serious stature, and the well-preserved tomb could shed new light on our understanding of that period of Mayan civilisation.

The remains were discovered in San Lorenzo de las Bayas, near the route of the new Maya Train which is aimed at drawing tourists to ancient Mayan sites in southern Mexico.