Scientists find traces of an ancient Mayan city in Mexico

The lost city, named Valeriana by explorers after the name of a nearby basin, may have been as dense as the more famous pre-Hispanic area of ​​Calakmul, in the southern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula .

The study, published this week in the journal Antiquitysuggesting that much of the seemingly empty, jungle-covered space between known Mayan sites may have been heavily populated.

“Previous research has shown that much of Campeche’s current state is a landscape that has been altered by its ancient inhabitants. This study shows that a little-known area was an urban landscape,” said Adriana Velázquez Morlet of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, co-author of the report.

Mexico’s National Institute said that about 6,479 structures were detected in light wave range area (LIDAR) images covering an area of ​​about 122 square kilometers.

This method is used to map landscapes using thousands of laser pulses sent from an aircraft, making it possible to detect topographical changes that are not visible to the naked eye.

These images have revealed structures that include what appear to be temple terraces, ceremonial ball courts, residential terraces, agricultural terraces, and even what appears to be a dam.

According to the National Institute of Mexico, the structures could be between 250 and 900 AD, but colonization may have started 100 years earlier.

A consortium of researchers made the discovery using software to re-analyze a 2013 LIDAR survey to measure deforestation. While reviewing the data, Luke Auld-Thomas, then a graduate student at Tulane University, noticed strange patterns in the jungle study.

Luke Auld-Thomas’ advisor, Marcello Canuto, a professor at Tulane University, said that the extensive data they collected “will help tell the story of the ancient Mayan people” by combining what the scientists know already on new details about how ancient civilizations were. managed.

“We have always been able to talk about the ancient Maya, especially in the lowlands, thanks to their hieroglyphic texts, because they left us very interesting archives. What we can do now is match that information with the settlement and the people, as well as what they fought for, what they ruled, and what they ruled. trade.” said Mr. Canuto.

Susan D. Gillespie, an anthropology professor at the University of Florida who was not involved in the study, said that while LIDAR is a valuable tool, some features needed to be verified by researchers on the ground.

“They understand that the small natural rock piles may have been misinterpreted as house waves, because they are the same size and shape. So they recognize that their element numbers are preliminary,” said Ms Gillespie.

“The last caveat, which must always be kept in mind, concerns the contemporary use of map elements. LIDAR maps what is on the surface, but not when it has been used. “So, a large area can be densely populated with structures, but the importance of an occupation at a particular time cannot be assessed with aerial survey data alone,” she said.