A student stumbled upon an ancient Mayan city featuring pyramids that had been forgotten over time.

A student discovered a long-lost Mayan city, complete with pyramids that had faded from memory.

A student from the United States has made an exciting discovery by examining publicly accessible data, uncovering a vast Mayan city hidden beneath a forest in Mexico. This remarkable find, named Valeriana, consists of nearly 6,700 previously unknown structures, including pyramids. The information was derived from laser scans of the Campeche area, revealing a concealed world waiting to be explored. Archaeologists have been utilizing advanced lidar technology to investigate unusual features in the landscapes of the Yucatan Peninsula and have stumbled upon various Mayan constructions such as pyramids and residential buildings.

Historically, efforts to locate ancient sites covered only a few hundred square kilometers and required significant labor from archaeologists who meticulously navigated through dense vegetation with machetes to uncover remnants of past civilizations. Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD candidate at Northern Arizona University and the discoverer of this site, noted that these traditional methods were labor-intensive.

In recent years, researchers have begun reexamining lidar scan data collected for different purposes to search for signs of Mayan architecture. Mr. Auld-Thomas discovered one such lidar project from 2013 that aimed at monitoring carbon levels in Mexico’s forests while investigating what lay beneath 50 square miles of Campeche. He mentioned finding this valuable laser survey while delving deep into Google results.

By applying contemporary archaeological techniques to analyze this data, he uncovered a rich tapestry of Mayan settlements dating back between 250 and 900 AD—one particularly extensive city among them. This revelation underscores an important truth: both governmental bodies and the scientific community were unaware of its existence until now. This really emphasizes that we haven’t uncovered everything yet; there are still many treasures waiting to be found, Mr. Auld-Thomas expressed enthusiastically. His groundbreaking research has recently been featured in the journal Antiquity, marking a significant contribution to our understanding of ancient civilizations.

Mr. Auld-Thomas highlighted that the discovered city exhibits all the characteristics of a Classic Maya political center. Rather than merely uncovering rural regions and smaller communities, we have also identified a significant urban center complete with pyramids, conveniently located near the only highway in the area and adjacent to a town where residents have been farming among the ancient ruins for many years. Researchers believe that examining these historic cities can provide valuable insights into contemporary urban development challenges. Mr. Auld-Thomas remarked on the existence of cities characterized by extensive agricultural landscapes and high-density living arrangements. In light of the environmental and social hurdles posed by rapid population growth, exploring ancient urban environments can broaden our understanding of sustainable living in modern times, fostering hope for innovative solutions ahead.