A mysterious 45-foot-long boat wreck, pre-Hispanic artifacts and a "unique" set of modified human bones are among the finds that were recently been uncovered in a vanishing Mexican lake.

In May this year, a traditional type of boat known as a tepari was found on the shores of the island of Janitzio, which lies within Lake Pátzcuaro in the state of Michoacán, the country's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a press release.

The island is usually accessible only by boat, but the waters of the lake—a popular tourist destination known for its Day of the Dead celebrations—have been receding over the past few years. This has exposed areas of dry lake bed around the island, once covered by water, where the tepari lies wedged in hard mud.

In April, the municipal government of Pátzcuaro told CNN affiliate Televisa that a combination of factors, including drought, deforestation and illicit water extraction, has resulted in the lake losing more than half of its volume since authorities started monitoring water levels.

But the disappearing lake is revealing several archaeological finds, including the tepari. The INAH said the boat sunk with its cargo, primarily consisting of firewood, which it was presumably carrying from a settlement on the shores of the lake to Janitzio island.

"Teparis are boats that have been used traditionally on Lake Pátzcuaro possibly since pre-Hispanic times," José Luis Punzo, an INAH researcher and project director of the latest research, told Newsweek. "These are monohull boats—that is, they are made from a single large tree and carved from it."

With these boats, people and merchandise were transported between the shores of the lake and its inhabited islands while also being used for fishing. Teparis have traditionally been important for the Purépecha Indigenous group that lives in the Lake Pátzcuaro region.

Currently, the age of the tepari is not known, and it is "difficult" to even establish an approximate date, Punzo said. It is possible the boat could be several centuries old, or it might date to more modern times. Experts are conducting further analysis of the boat to try to determine how old it is.

This is not the only tepari that has been found in the area. Around a dozen have been identified in total, although the 45-foot-long example stands out for its size. Researchers are hoping that studying these boats will reveal information about their age.

Archaeological work conducted on the teparis found around the island has also revealed a "large number" of other artifacts, according to Punzo.

"Among these, several complete ceramic pieces have been recovered, such as decorated bowls, pots and incense burners, which are samples of the rituals that were surely carried out in the lagoon," he said.

"Deer antlers, bone needles and other stone objects have also been recovered. Thus, thanks to these studies we will be able to have a deeper vision of the relationship of the ancient inhabitants of this place with the lake," Punzo said.

An important set of modified human bones—mostly femurs—with grooves cut into them has also been recovered. This collection is "unique" among similar finds because of the bones' excellent state of preservation, according to INAH.

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