You ever thought you knew something to its capacity, only to realize you were only scratching the surface? That’s exactly what happened in the case of the recent discovery of massive Maya ruins in the Petén region in Guatemala.
The expansiveness of this new lost world is greater than the sites of Tikal, Holmul, and Witzna–known for their temples and pyramids–and has been conserved for an estimated 1,200 years under a substantial amount of jungle. With the help of laser technology, recent images have distinguished hundreds of thousands of homes, palaces, tombs, highways, industrial agricultural sites, and new pyramids. Even the most experienced archaeologists were surprised at the findings, seeing more settlement than ever expected in the ancient Maya region.
Now what historians thought was a well-understood city and civilization, has appeared brand new again. Experts still have to trek through the thick, dense, and dangerous jungle to verify the ruins’ existence, but the technologically advanced lasers are well-trusted. The same equipment was used to uncover the heart of the Khmer empire in South-East Asian jungles last year, a site archaeologists were eager to uncover decades earlier.
The laser system is known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which works by shooting rapid pulses of light at a surface. When images of the jungle appeared, the tree canopies were digitally removed, revealing 800 square miles of the Pre-Columbian civilization–the largest LiDAR data set obtained for archaeological research.
The project was started by the non-profit, Pacunam, an organization dedicated to scientific and historical research. The Maya culture was believed to be a sophisticated civilization recognized for its agriculture, astronomy, and art. Known for advanced, interconnected roads between various subdivisions were the Incas, but this new discovery sees the Mayan civilization as a strong competitor. Laser imaging shows wide roads built above wetlands, which helped to connect farmers to markets and the metro centers.
The roads were wide enough for archaeologists to reconsider the original estimates of the Maya population. What was formerly thought to be just a few million, has been estimated to be closer to 10-15 million. The new findings, along with the previously discovered ancient Mayan ruins, covers nearly twice the size of medieval England, but much more heavily populated. It is hypothesized that the roadways were commonly trafficked by a large number of people at any given time and used for trade and various interactions.
Complex irrigation and terracing systems might have contributed to the mass scale agricultural lands, which would have supported the number of people now thought to have inhabited the region. The images revealed the Mayans to have reconstructed the landscape, in some areas, so much so that almost 95% of the land was cultivated.
Another surprising finding are what seem to be the number of fortresses, terraces, and defensive walls picked up by the imaging system. The extensiveness of military ruins lead experts to believe the Mayan civilization might have been involved in more conflict and warfare than previously thought.
With such new insight on the history of the Mayas, and so much more to be learned, everyone’s interest in this dynamic culture has peaked. We are looking forward to the newest discoveries and anticipate the unveiling of this tremendous ancient city. In the meantime, make sure to visit the temple of Tikal to get just a sneak peek at what’s to come, with a mini-adventure program in Guatemala!