A stone marker used in an ancient soccer game has been discovered at the famous Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, archaeologists said this week.

The circular object, just over 32 centimeters in diameter and weighing 40 kilograms, has hieroglyphic inscriptions around two players sitting next to a ball, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.

“It’s rare to find hieroglyphic writing at this Mayan site, let alone a complete text,” said Francisco Perez, one of the archaeologists coordinating research at the Chichanchob complex, also known as Casa Colorada.

The stone, believed to be a tablet, dates back to 800 AD. and 900 AD

The game of ball was a traditional practice of the peoples of Mesoamerica and is believed to have a ritual connotation.

INAH researchers are now preparing to take high-resolution photographs of the text and iconography for detailed study, preparing them for conservation.

The Chichen Itza complex, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is one of the main archaeological centers of the Mayan civilization on the Yucatan Peninsula. According to official data, about 2 million people visit the site every year.