Maya 'megalopolis' found hidden under thick jungle foliage in Guatemala
More than 60,000 previously unknown Mayan structures - including pyramids, palaces and causeways - have been revealed under jungle foliage in Guatemala in what has been hailed as a 'major breakthrough'.
Researchers used laser technology to look beneath the forest canopy in northern Peten - an area close to already-known Mayan cities. The lasers revealed the 'breathtaking' remains of a sprawling pre-Columbian 'megalopolis' that was far more complex than most specialists had ever believed.
The discovery suggests that Central America supported a civilization that was, at its peak 1,500 years ago, more advanced than ancient Greek and Chinese cultures. The landscape may have been home to up to 15 million individuals and the abundance of defensive walls, ramparts and fortresses suggests that warfare was rife throughout their existence.
'I think this is one of the greatest advances in over 150 years of Maya archaeology,' Stephen Houston, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Brown University told the BBC. 'I know it sounds hyperbolic but when I saw the [Lidar] imagery, it did bring tears to my eyes.'
Scientists made the discovery using Lidar technology, which is short for 'light detection and ranging'. Aircraft with a LiDAR scanner produced three-dimensional maps of the surface by using light in the form of pulsed laser linked to a GPS system. This technique allowed researchers to map outlines of what they describe as dozens of newly discovered Maya cities hidden under thick jungle foliage centuries after they were abandoned by their inhabitants.
As well as previously unknown structures, the images show raised highways that linked together urban centers and quarries. They also found advanced irrigation and terracing systems that supported agriculture in a civilisation that was one of the most advanced to arise in Mesoamerica.
Mayans are known for their sophisticated mathematics and engineering that allowed it to spread throughout present- day Central America and southern Mexico. 'Now it is no longer necessary to cut through the jungle to see what's under it,' said Marcello Canuto, one of the project's investigators.
' The fortified structures and causeways reveal modifications to the natural landscape made by the Maya on a previously unimaginable scale,' said Francisco EstradaBelli of Tulane University.
The team of archaeologists sur- veyed more than 2,100 sq km of the Peten jungle which borders Mexico and Belize. They found some 60,000 structures over the past two years. The new discoveries include urban centres with sidewalks, homes, terraces, ceremonial centres, irrigation canals and fortifications.
Their findings revealed a pyramid in the heart of the ancient Maya city of Tikal, a major tourist destination in northeastern Guatemala. Also discovered in Tika were a series of pits and a 14 km wall. The pyramid measures nearly 30m tall and was previously thought to be a mountain.
Researchers believe that the Maya had a population of 10-15mn, which is 'much higher' than previous estimates. The cause of the collapse remains the focus of academic debate. ' The LiDAR images make it clear that this region was a settlement system whose scale and population density had been grossly underestimated,' Thomas Garrison, an Ithaca College archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer said.
Researchers have found complex irrigation and terracing systems that suggest there was intensive agriculture in the area which could have fed masses of workers. The causeways are also connected, suggesting they were heavily trafficked and used for regional trade.