Archaeologists Are Unearthing a Massive Maya City That's Been Hidden for 3,000 Years
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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