Archaeologists Are Unearthing a Massive Maya City That's Been Hidden for 3,000 Years
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
Researchers excavated an ancient Maya complex that spanned three cities in Guatemala.
Each city featured its own unique architectural advancement: an observatory, a pyramid, and a canal system, respectively.
All three cities showed similar migration patterns, being densely populated in the Preclassic period, then abandoned, and finally repopulated in the Late Classic period.
Important archaeological sites often naturally reveal themselves after disasters like earthquakes and floods. However, it isn't always that easy; many important remains are found thanks to organizations dedicated to preserving history. Over the past 17 years, the Uaxactun Archaeological Project (PARU) has identified over 170 archaeological sites related to the Maya civilization's past. Of the 176 sites, only 20 have been excavated. Some of the most recent and most notable sites included three cities in Guatemala, and what researchers found there provides an incredible snapshot into what Maya civilization once looked like. The results were presented to the public at a press conference held in the Banquet Hall of the National Palace of Culture.
The complex—spanning across Los Abuelos, Petnal and Cambrayal—revealed pyramids, altars, and intricate canal systems dating all the way back to the Preclassic period, according to a press release from Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports. The ancient Maya civilization is known for its innovation: math, astronomy, calendars, written language, agriculture—you name it, and the people living during the Classic Maya period probably accomplished it.
The ministry explained that the most important of the three cities is Los Abuelos, which translates to 'the Grandparents.' The city is named after two statues discovered there that depict a grandmother and a grandfather, likely representing an 'ancestral couple.' On top of the statues, archeologists also discovered what was likely an astronomical observatory in Los Abuelos. The ancient Maya would have used the buildings to precisely record solstices and equinoxes, both crucial parts of the accurate calendar system.
And Los Abuelos wasn't just a place for researching the stars—it was also a ceremonial center. Archaeologists discovered a human burial, feline remains, and offerings including shells and arrowheads at the site, all suggesting the ritual purpose of the complex. According to the press release, the city was likely occupied during the Preclassic period, abandoned, and later rebuilt in the Late Classic.
The other two cities, Petnal and Cambrayal, saw similar habitation and desertion patterns. However, unlike Los Abuelos, Petnal wasn't a spiritual epicenter; in fact it was quite the opposite. Researchers believe Petnal served as a political hub for Maya civilization, and the impressive pyramid archeologists found there supports the theory. The structure is 33 meters (roughly 108 feet) high and features a 'well-preserved' room at the top. The room houses the remains of a black, white, and red stucco painting—a find that is an 'extraordinary discovery in the area,' according to the ministry.
Like the other cities, Cambrayal is also architecturally impressive—except, instead of buildings like in Los Abuelos and Petnal, the city is home to an elaborate canal system 57 meters (187 feet) long. Researchers believe the stucco-lined channels were used to transport waste—not water—functioning like a drainage system.
According to the ministry, the findings in all three cities help to further our contemporary understanding of the region.
'Every little piece we can obtain from the excavations is fundamental,' project co-director Dora García explained at the conference, 'like a piece of the larger puzzle we are putting together.'
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15 hours ago
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3 ancient Maya cities discovered in Guatemala, 1 with an 'astronomical complex' likely used for predicting solstices
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of three Maya cities in the Petén jungle of Guatemala. The cities are about 3 miles (5 kilometers) apart and are arranged like a triangle, Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports reported in a translated statement. The cities were settled sometime during a period that archaeologists call the "middle preclassic," which occurred between roughly 1000 and 400 B.C. They were inhabited until around 1,100 years ago, when many Maya cities in the region collapsed. The most important of the three cities is a site archaeologists are calling "Los Abuelos," which means "the grandparents." This name comes from two stone sculptures found at the site: one of a man and another of a woman. They are believed to depict ancestors of those who lived at the site, the statement said, noting that this city may have been a ceremonial center for those who lived in the area. Los Abuelos thrived during the Middle Preclassic (1000 B.C. to 400 B.C.) and Late Preclassic periods (400 B.C. to A.D. 300) before being abandoned and then reinhabited during the Late Classic period (A.D. 600 to 900). It has an astronomical complex with buildings positioned in such a way that solstices and equinoxes can be recorded precisely, the statement said. The remains of a human burial were found at the site, along with the remains of two felines, pottery vessels, shells and arrowheads. Archaeologists also discovered an altar in the shape of a frog and an engraved stone slab known as a stela. Once the Mayan writing on the stela is translated, it may provide more information about the site and the people who lived there. Another newly found city, which archaeologists named "Petnal," has a 108-foot-tall (33 meters) pyramid, the statement said. The top of the pyramid is flat and has a room that houses the remains of murals on its walls. Red, white and black from the murals can still be seen, but more research is needed to determine what the murals depict. Petnal was likely a political center, according to the statement. A frog-shaped altar was also found there. The frog is perceived as a symbol of fertility and rebirth in Maya mythology, wrote researchers Robert Sharer and Loa Traxler in their book "The Ancient Maya: Sixth Edition" (Stanford University Press, 2006). Frog altars have been found at other Maya sites and presumably would have been used in rituals. The third newly found city, which the archaeologists dubbed "Cambrayal," has a network of canals that originates in a water reservoir at the top of a palace, the statement reported. The main purpose of the canals may have been for removing waste. "It's especially exciting to learn about the Los Abuelos site," Megan O'Neil, an associate professor of art history at Emory University who was not part of the excavation team, told Live Science in an email. The stone sculptures found at the site "are especially poignant and are similar to many other examples of Maya people making offerings to vital sculptures and connecting with their ancestors by interacting with sculptures from the past." RELATED STORIES —'Stunning' discovery reveals how the Maya rose up 4,000 years ago —Ancient Maya 'blood cave' discovered in Guatemala baffles archaeologists —Genomes from ancient Maya people reveal collapse of population and civilization 1,200 years ago O'Neil noted that it was important that archaeologists found the remains of intact ceramic vessels during their excavation. In the past, this region was heavily looted and the pottery made by the ancient Maya was taken and sold on the international market. The new finds may "help reconnect items in private and museum collections with their places of origin and deposition, helping return memory to those ceramics, to these sites, and to Maya people living in this region and across the world," O'Neil said. The discoveries of the three cities, along with other newly found sites in the region, were made by a team of archaeologists from Slovakia and Guatemala who were part of the Uaxactún Archaeological Project (PARU), which searches for Maya ruins near the Maya city of Uaxactún. Since 2009, PARU has discovered 176 sites, although only 20 have been excavated. Live Science reached out to archaeologists involved with the research, but they did not answer questions by the time of publication.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Are Unearthing a Massive Maya City That's Been Hidden for 3,000 Years
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Researchers excavated an ancient Maya complex that spanned three cities in Guatemala. Each city featured its own unique architectural advancement: an observatory, a pyramid, and a canal system, respectively. All three cities showed similar migration patterns, being densely populated in the Preclassic period, then abandoned, and finally repopulated in the Late Classic period. Important archaeological sites often naturally reveal themselves after disasters like earthquakes and floods. However, it isn't always that easy; many important remains are found thanks to organizations dedicated to preserving history. Over the past 17 years, the Uaxactun Archaeological Project (PARU) has identified over 170 archaeological sites related to the Maya civilization's past. Of the 176 sites, only 20 have been excavated. Some of the most recent and most notable sites included three cities in Guatemala, and what researchers found there provides an incredible snapshot into what Maya civilization once looked like. The results were presented to the public at a press conference held in the Banquet Hall of the National Palace of Culture. The complex—spanning across Los Abuelos, Petnal and Cambrayal—revealed pyramids, altars, and intricate canal systems dating all the way back to the Preclassic period, according to a press release from Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports. The ancient Maya civilization is known for its innovation: math, astronomy, calendars, written language, agriculture—you name it, and the people living during the Classic Maya period probably accomplished it. The ministry explained that the most important of the three cities is Los Abuelos, which translates to 'the Grandparents.' The city is named after two statues discovered there that depict a grandmother and a grandfather, likely representing an 'ancestral couple.' On top of the statues, archeologists also discovered what was likely an astronomical observatory in Los Abuelos. The ancient Maya would have used the buildings to precisely record solstices and equinoxes, both crucial parts of the accurate calendar system. And Los Abuelos wasn't just a place for researching the stars—it was also a ceremonial center. Archaeologists discovered a human burial, feline remains, and offerings including shells and arrowheads at the site, all suggesting the ritual purpose of the complex. According to the press release, the city was likely occupied during the Preclassic period, abandoned, and later rebuilt in the Late Classic. The other two cities, Petnal and Cambrayal, saw similar habitation and desertion patterns. However, unlike Los Abuelos, Petnal wasn't a spiritual epicenter; in fact it was quite the opposite. Researchers believe Petnal served as a political hub for Maya civilization, and the impressive pyramid archeologists found there supports the theory. The structure is 33 meters (roughly 108 feet) high and features a 'well-preserved' room at the top. The room houses the remains of a black, white, and red stucco painting—a find that is an 'extraordinary discovery in the area,' according to the ministry. Like the other cities, Cambrayal is also architecturally impressive—except, instead of buildings like in Los Abuelos and Petnal, the city is home to an elaborate canal system 57 meters (187 feet) long. Researchers believe the stucco-lined channels were used to transport waste—not water—functioning like a drainage system. According to the ministry, the findings in all three cities help to further our contemporary understanding of the region. 'Every little piece we can obtain from the excavations is fundamental,' project co-director Dora García explained at the conference, 'like a piece of the larger puzzle we are putting together.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
The Maya Civilization Collapsed 1,200 Years Ago. But Their Genes Never Stopped Spreading.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A new study uses genome analysis to show the decline, not erasure, of the ancient Maya civilization. Researchers compared the genomes of seven skeletons to previously sequenced sets from across Siberia and the Americas, and showed strong genetic continuity from ancient to contemporary Maya people. Time-stamped genomes revealed a population increase peaking around 730 A.D. (likely thanks to the emergence of maize agriculture), and a subsequent decline in 750 A.D. (directly coinciding with the collapse of Maya civilization). The ancient Maya were a group of Mesoamerican Indigenous people who developed one of the most advanced societies in history, which such achievements as a complex written language and amazingly accurate calendar systems. One of the thriving capitals of Maya civilization was Copán—a city in modern-day Honduras that acted as a travel hub between Central and South America. A new study analyzing skeletons buried near Copán reveals the collapse, but not total erasure, of the Maya civilization over 1,200 years ago. 'Our findings indicate a decline in population size,' Shigeki Nakagome, a co-author of the study, told Live Science, that 'aligns with a scenario proposed by archaeologists in which the population decreased but did not become entirely extinct.' Published on May 28 in the journal Current Biology, the study included analysis of the genomes of seven individuals from the Classic Maya period—or the period in which Maya civilization experienced destabilization and eventual collapse—to investigate the hypothesis that Copán was ruled by outsiders. Inscriptions previously found in Copán suggest the first ruler of the dynasty, K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo', was an outsider who assumed power in 426 B.C. The theory suggests that a network of Maya elites migrated to the region and married with the local, non-Maya population, creating immense social change. Previous studies analyzing tooth enamel support the migration hypothesis. Researchers found that each of the seven individuals had different marriage lineages. Two of the people—one a possible member of the ruling dynasty, and the other a victim of human sacrifice—belonged to the same Y-chromosome haplogroup. A haplogroup is a population that has the same genetic markers passed down by a common ancestor. However (though this seems remarkable), it doesn't mean that the two individuals were closely related. 'Even though the dynastic ruler and the sacrificed individual share the same Y-chromosome haplogroup,' Nakagome told Live Science, 'we did not find any kinship.' On top of comparing the individuals' genomes to each other, researchers also compared the sets with previously sequenced genomes from across the Americas and Siberia. The scientists found strong evidence of genetic continuity between ancient and modern Maya people, suggesting 'the enduring persistence of local ancestry in the Maya region,' according to the study. Researchers also found an influx of people with ancestry from highland Mexican populations extant during the early to mid-Classic period. These outsiders could have been part of the dynasty of Copán. Finally, researchers used time-stamped genomes to estimate population sizes at different points in time. The study determined that Maya society saw a sharp increase in population that peaked around 730 A.D. at 19,000 people. According to researchers, the spike likely occurred thanks to the emergence of maize agriculture. Researchers saw a subsequent decline in population around 750 A.D., 'coinciding with the onset of the collapse of Classic Maya civilization,' according to the paper. The scientists on the study juggled many questions while conducting their research, which ultimately furthers our understanding of both the ancient and contemporary Maya people. '[O]ur research offers a new perspective, suggesting the enduring persistence of local ancestry in the Maya region,' the researchers wrote, 'while also highlighting the broader mobility beyond the conventional boundaries of the Maya territory.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
