Experts have discovered a third structure within the Kukulkan pyramid in eastern Mexico, revealing that it was built like a “Russian nesting doll”, experts said on Wednesday.

A 10-metre-tall pyramid was found within another 20metre structure, which itself is enveloped by the 30-metre exterior visible at the Maya archeological complex known as Chichen Itza in Yucatán state.

The smallest pyramid was built between the years 550 and 800, engineers and anthropologists said. The middle structure had already been discovered in the 1930s and dates back to the years 800-1000, while the largest one was finished between 1050 and 1300. ... Structures were built on top of each other for various reasons, including deterioration or the arrival of new leadership, said Denisse Argote, expert at the National Anthropology and History Institute.

The smallest pyramid was spotted using non-invasive scanning techniques.

The Kukulkan pyramid has two more nested inside, archaeologists have discovered.
The Kukulkan pyramid has two more nested inside, archaeologists have discovered. - “It’s like a Russian nesting doll. Under the large one we get another and another,” said René Chávez Seguro, project chief and geophysics expert.The discovery suggests that the pyramid, also known as El Castillo (The Castle), was built in three phases. © Alamy