A previously unidentified Maya civilization has been discovered in northern Guatemala, consisting of 964 interconnected settlements.
The scattered excavation sites, identified as dating to the Pre-Classical Maya period, which lasted from 1000 BC to 150 AD, cover an area of approximately 1,685 square kilometers and are connected by 177 kilometers of ancient roads.
The researchers detected the settlement network using LiDAR, a sensing system that reflects laser signals from surfaces to reveal hidden features and structures. As the team flew over Guatemala’s Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin (MCKB), they used LiDAR technology to peer deep into the thick forest cover and reveal ancient structures lurking beneath.
According to a newly published study, “LiDAR examination has revealed an extraordinary density and distribution of Mayan sites concentrated in the MCKB, many of which are directly or indirectly connected by an extensive network of gateways.” A total of 775 sites were found inside the MCKB, of which 189 were located on the surrounding karst ridge.
All of these 964 areas are made up of 417 cities, towns and villages that seem to form parts of a single unified civilization. “The consistency of architectural forms and patterns, ceramics, sculptural art, architectural layouts and connecting passage constructions within a given geographic region points to a central political, social and economic organic solidarity among the building occupants,” the authors explain.
Archaeologists previously assumed this region of the Mayan empire was sparsely populated, but the complexity of the newly discovered sites suggests that this was not the case. “The sheer size of labor in the construction of huge platforms, palaces, dams, gateways and pyramids identified as belonging to the Middle and Late Preclassic periods along the MCKB indicates its power to organize thousands of workers,” the researchers say.
One of Maya’s Crowning Achievements
Researchers rank the impressive network of gateways among the many astonishing architectural monuments available in the area as one of the “crowning achievements” of the ancient Maya. The team determined that there are 133.22 kilometers of roads connecting different settlements, as well as 38.23 kilometers of intra-area passages. They point out that the existence of this transport network will allow people to easily visit other settlements while facilitating their collective business efforts.
It was determined that there were also large platforms and pyramids in some areas. While it is thought that these structures may have served as political centers, a total of 30 ball fields were found scattered throughout the system.
It is also noted that the presence of such a large population requires extensive water collection projects, as MCKB has no year-round flowing rivers or lakes. Researchers say they have identified 195 artificial reservoirs, as well as a network of canals thought to be to transport water in the area.
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