Ancient Mayan City Discovered in Mexican Jungle

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Facts

  • A doctoral candidate at Northern Arizona University has accidentally discovered a long-lost Mayan city — now named Valeriana by archaeologists — in Mexico. The city, buried under the forest 50 sq. miles off Campeche, is estimated to have flourished between 750 and 850AD.[1][2]
  • Anthropologist Luke Auld-Thomas stumbled upon the find when he revisited a 2013 survey conducted for a forest monitoring project using lidar (laser mapping) remote sensing technology to generate 3D images of the site. Researchers now suggest many more such lost cities may lie undiscovered.[3][4]
  • Auld-Thomas reported that neither the government nor the scientific community knew about Valeriana, named after a nearby lagoon. The use of laser technology, which discovered signs of a metropolis, meant the rediscovery didn't require the use of conventional physical tools.[5][6]
  • Lidar — or light detection and ranging — uses pulsed lasers and other data collected via drone flyovers, potentially revolutionizing archaeological exploration. Six years ago, lidar reportedly found tens of thousands of hidden Maya houses, buildings, and pyramids in Guatemala.[3][6]
  • All indications suggest Valeriana was a populous city with at least 6,764 built up structures and an aggregate settlement density of 55.3 structures per sq km. The findings published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity show that it was around 1.5 times the area of Washington DC.[7][8]
  • Valeriana, only second in density to Calakmul — reportedly the largest Maya site in ancient Latin America — contains pyramids, sports fields, causeways, and amphitheaters. One of its precincts allegedly contains 'all the hallmarks of a Classic Maya political capital.'[9][10]

Sources: [1]The Telegraph, [2]Independent, [3]Guardian, [4]LBC, [5]Allthatsinteresting, [6]Wired, [7]Reuters, [8]NBC, [9]ITV News and [10]BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CBC. Imagine peering through time using beams of light and strands of DNA — that's exactly how modern archaeologists are revolutionizing our understanding of Maya civilization. Lidar technology has unveiled vast networks of ancient roads and cities hidden beneath the jungle canopy, completely transforming what we thought we knew about Maya transportation and urban planning. Meanwhile, DNA analysis is uncovering surprising secrets about their agricultural prowess, revealing previously unknown crops they cultivated. What once took researchers years to map on foot can now be accomplished in days, breathing new life into ancient stories and challenging long-held theories.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Verdict. Peering beneath the surface of art and artifacts using modern technology may open doors that were meant to stay closed. Van Gogh's hidden self-portrait, discovered via X-ray beneath another painting, raised thorny questions about artistic privacy beyond the grave. While technologies like X-ray imaging and lidar can unveil precious historical secrets, they also challenge our respect for history's intended boundaries. When an artist deliberately conceals their work, or ancient cultures carefully seal their burial grounds, perhaps we should question whether our technological ability to uncover these secrets gives us the right to do so.