Researchers from the US-Guatemala joint archaeological survey announced in an interview with the Washington Post that they discovered 417 cities dating back nearly 3,000 years, connected by 177 kilometers of “highways.”
This discovery is forcing historians to rethink what they know about the ancient Maya civilization.
The discovery of a network of roads and cities, hydraulic systems, and agricultural infrastructure suggests that communities living in Central America are now more advanced than previously thought, the Post reported.
Could be a historical discovery as influential as the Egyptian pyramids
It was stated that the structures hidden under a dense forest cover for thousands of years were unearthed and mapped with an advanced radar technology, and that the findings could change what is known about the history of the American continent.
According to the document, these findings reflect “socio-economic organization and political power.”
Together with scientists from the US and Guatemala, the team has been mapping the region in Central America since 2015 and using lidar technology, an important technique in archaeological laser mapping, to reveal the smallest details such as ancient vegetation.
According to the research, this technology allowed scientists to see ancient dams, reservoirs, pyramids, platforms, road networks and even ball courts.
Enrique Hernandez, an archaeologist at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City and co-author of the paper, told the Post that with further work on the project, it could become a historical discovery as influential as the Egyptian pyramids.
