A group of 14 students, lecturers and archeologists from a Nicaraguan university have found what they believe to be a "pre-Columbian settlement" in the area of the Laguna de Nejapa, 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Managua.

But the group of researchers is facing difficulties establishing the age of the settlement, due to a lack of funds, as well as problems performing laboratory tests on the items they have unearthed at the site.

The dig, which is set to conclude on Jan. 31, is being conducted by a group from the Research Center of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, with the coordination of professor Sagrario Balladares.

Archeology professor Leonardo Lechado told reporters that in the area, the team had found pieces of ceramic containers, parts of a pre-Columbian house, animal bones, firepits and burned animal remains.

Lechado said that they have also found stone and earth structures created in polygonal shapes, which indicate the type of food consumed by the inhabitants of the zone during the pre-Columbian period.

The sources said that the group is carrying out its excavations with a budget near $2,600, which is insufficient for the work required.

Even so, the researchers are prepared to venture that the settlement could date from as early as the ninth century.