Posted: Thursday, October 31, 2024. 9:32 am CST.
By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: A PhD student has accidentally uncovered a significant Maya city, named Valeriana, hidden beneath the jungle in Campeche, Mexico.
According to the BBC, the city features pyramids, sports fields, and causeways, and may have housed 30,000 to 50,000 people at its peak around 750-850 AD.
Luke Auld-Thomas from Tulane University stumbled upon the discovery while browsing Lidar survey data online, which uses laser technology to map structures obscured by vegetation.
The findings, based on a survey area equivalent to Edinburgh, revealed over 6,700 buildings, highlighting the city’s dense construction, second only to the renowned Calakmul site.
The discovery challenges previous notions that tropical regions lacked complex civilizations.
Researchers suggest that climate change contributed to the city’s eventual decline, alongside factors like warfare and Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
This breakthrough demonstrates the potential of Lidar technology, which has significantly accelerated archaeological surveys in heavily forested areas.
Many more undiscovered sites are likely to exist, raising questions about how to study them all effectively. The research is published in the journal Antiquity.
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The post International News: Accidental discovery of lost Maya City in Mexico appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, October 31, 2024. 9:32 am CST. By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: A PhD student has accidentally uncovered a significant Maya city, named Valeriana, hidden beneath
The post International News: Accidental discovery of lost Maya City in Mexico appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
