Mexican cultural authorities have preserved an archaeological area with several Maya buildings more than 1,500 years old that were buried under a highway in the Yucatan peninsula.

The archaeological zone, comprised of the remains of five Maya buildings, was part of the ancient city of Oxkintok and is located on both sides of the highway, where a roadside stop has been set up so that visitors or travelers can look around, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said.

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The work to preserve the Maya buildings took more than three years and the site is located on a federal highway linking the cities of Merida - the capital of Yucatan state - and Campeche, the capital of the adjacent same-named state, INAH said in a statement.

"The said constructions are part of the great residential platforms that measure 60 meters (195 feet) long by 50 meters (163 feet) wide, over which masonry buildings and vaulted roofs were erected around a patio," said the coordinator of the achaeological salvage work, Eunice Gonzalez.

She said the Oxkintok area is of great relevance to archaeology because it contains buildings of all types and from all chronological eras in the Maya region.

The archaeological site, which extends for more than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles), was built according to an agreement between INAH's Yucatan Center and federal transportation authorities with the aim of broadening the highway, which was modified in numerous ways so preserve the historic pre-Columbian structures.