Mexico, Mar 5 (IANS): Mexican authorities have announced that at least 200 millennium-old ceramic artefacts have been discovered in an underground ritual cave in the Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

According to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the cave, which was discovered 50 years ago but has remained unexplored, is called Balamku, Efe news reported.

The cave is located 2.7 km from the Temple of Kukulkan at the Chichen Itza complex on the Yucatan peninsula.

On Monday, INAH archaeologist Guillermo de Anda told the media that this was the most important discovery since the Balamkanche cave was found in the 1950s.

Most of the objects found are censers dedicated to Tlaloc, the water god, used for rituals and as offerings in the late classic period of Mayan civilisation, from the 7th to 10th centuries.

The archaeologist said research has discarded the initial hypothesis of a Toltec invasion of Mayan territory, but surmised that "central Mexico must have had an influence on Chichen Itza".

"In that case, these items will help us establish a chronology," the researcher said, adding that they expect to discover in Balamku many more artefacts than the 200 already found.

The censers and vessels discovered in Balamku still preserve the charred remains of food, seeds, jade, shells and bones, among other things the Mayas offered their deities in those days.

The archaeologist maintained that this cave is "probably more sacred" than the Sacred Cenote itself, a circular sunken pit 197 feet in diameter and 49 feet deep, filled with water and located in Chichen Itza.