Finally, the Ancient Mayan City Found in the Middle of the Mexican Forest
The news is both shocking and exciting, "Finally, the Ancient Mayan City was discovered in the middle of the Mexican jungle." Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of an ancient Mayan city in the interior of a forest located in the Yucatán Peninsula region.
Experts found several buildings resembling pyramids with a height of more than 15 meters.
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| Archaeologists located a number of buildings including this one with stone steps (Photo: IVAN SPRAJC/INAH) |
Clay items at the site indicate that the city was inhabited in 600 AD and 800 AD, a period known as the Late Classic.
Archaeologists Name the Area Ocomtún
The name "Ocomtún" is a Mayan term meaning stone column.
The Mayan civilization is considered one of the greatest civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. They are famous for their pyramid-shaped temples as well as large stone buildings often found in the regions of Southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
How was the hidden ancient city discovered?
The discovery of this latest relic is in an ecological reserve in the state of Campeche. The area is crowded with plants and trees so it has not been explored too much.
The Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico (INAH) said the discovery of the site came after the team conducted field research aimed at documenting archaeological values from the Central Maya Lowland, an area containing 3,000 square kilometers of uninhabited forest.
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INAH said the University of Houston used lasers from high altitudes to scan the area to find "some pre-Hispanic cultural buildings."
Ivan Sprajc, who led the research team, said they were most surprised to find the plateau surrounded by wetlands.
On the plateau, they found some large buildings, including several pyramids that exceeded 15 meters in height.
"This site may have once been an important regional center," Sprajc said in a statement released by INAH.
The cylindrical stone columns — which inspired scientists to name the ancient city Ocomtún — allegedly served as entrance gates for rooms at the top of the building, Sprajc added.
According to Sprajc, the site likely went through many changes between 800 AD and 1,000 AD before collapsing with the fall of the Lowland Mayan Civilization in the 10th century.