The Earth has so much to offer that researchers and historians continue to come across huge finds that are invaluable to history. According to the Washington Post (WP), scientists recently discovered a dense jungle in northern Guatemala that hides a blast from the past. Around 417 cities dating back to around 1,000 BC were uncovered. The most amazing thing is that these cities are connected by a kind of “superhighway” that scientists call “the world’s first highway system.” The civilization is called the Mayan civilization and occupies a huge area that is now part of Central America.
The finds in the El Mirador jungle area revealed a highly developed civilization with infrastructure, agricultural facilities and all sorts of systems that suggest a stable way of life. Led by archaeologist Ivan Šprajc, the team used LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) as a laser scan to obtain images of the massive discovery that lay beneath, according to a Mexican government press release. “The biggest surprise was that the site was located on a ‘peninsula’ of high terrain, surrounded by extensive wetlands. Its monumental core extends over 50 hectares and includes several large buildings, including several pyramid structures over 15 meters high,” explained Šprajc. He added that the region was most likely of great importance during the Classic Period between 250 and 1000 AD.
In addition to several cylindrical structures that characterize the site, there were also other finds. “The most common types of ceramics that we collected on the surface and in some test pits date from the Late Classic period (600-800 AD); however, the analysis of samples of this material will provide us with more reliable data on the settlement sequences,” noted Ṡprajc. The research indicated that the civilization had good vegetation and all kinds of political, social and economic systems.
Archaeologist Richard D. Hansen, associate research professor at Idaho State University and the president of the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies, commented that the find was a “game changer” for history, WP reported. Hansen, another lead author of the study, added that the laser scan “reveals a whole volume of human history that we have never known before.” Ṡprajc reported how the Maya civilization fared. He explained that the infrastructure and the finds are a “reflection of ideological and demographic changes in times of crisis that eventually led to the collapse of the complex sociopolitical organization and the drastic demographic decline in the central Maya lowlands in the 10th century.”
It is believed that as the civilization declined, it was covered and buried by dense jungle. Rick Chacon, a professor of anthropology at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, noted that the study provides insight into “how the ancient Maya significantly altered their local environment and improves our understanding of how social complexity emerged.” Ṡprajc and his team were able to discover a number of structures, columns and areas that indicate the existence of altars, courtyards and other spaces. “It is possible that these were markets or spaces intended for community rituals, but only future research will shed light on the function of these complexes, which are a regional peculiarity,” he noted.
Enrique Hernández, an archaeologist and co-author of the paper, called the discovery “impossible.” He has spent several months each year for the past 20 years excavating at El Mirador. “Now there are more than 900 (settlements). … We couldn’t see that before. It was impossible,” he said of the stunning discovery.
