Lost Mayan City Unveiled: Pyramids Discovered in Campeche

A team of archaeologists has uncovered over 6,000 ancient Mayan structures in Campeche, including a city with pyramids they've named "Valeriana". This discovery was made possible through data published online and was previously unknown to Mexican authorities and the scientific community. Many of these structures are located near modern settlements.

The data was obtained in 2013 using a laser detection technique known as LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The study area was in the east-central part of Campeche and covered about 130 square kilometers. The researchers discovered an "ancient populated and urban Maya landscape" by chance. This massive Mayan city was found centuries after it vanished under the jungle in Mexico. The archaeologists discovered pyramids, sports fields, roads connecting districts, and amphitheaters in the state of Campeche.

Luke Auld-Thomas, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Northern Arizona University, noted that their analysis revealed a region dense with settlements. The city of "Valeriana" could potentially be the main archaeological Mayan site in terms of the number of structures, second only to Calakmul, the largest in Latin America.

Campeche, where the study was conducted, is known for its tropical forests, limestone plains, and seasonal wetlands. It was a hub of the ancient Mayan civilization, particularly during the Classic Period (250 to 900 AD). The researchers found a large city with pyramids next to the only road in the area, near a village where people have been farming among the ruins for years.

The researchers believe that there is much more to discover in the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, which includes parts of present-day Guatemala, Belize, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. The LIDAR data they analyzed was originally collected in 2013 by a group of Mexican environmental scientists for a different purpose – to measure and monitor carbon in the country's forests. However, when Auld-Thomas processed the data using archaeological methods, he discovered a vast ancient city that may have housed between 30,000 and 50,000 people at its peak, between the years 750 and 850 AD. LIDAR has proven to be a powerful tool for archaeologists, capable of documenting entire landscapes in meticulous detail, even under dense forest cover.