Hundreds of Ancient Maya Sites Hidden Under Mexico Reveal a Mysterious Blueprint

[Judi Lynn]

Aerial view of Aguada Fénix. (Takeshi Inomata)
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Hundreds of Ancient Maya Sites Hidden Under Mexico Reveal a Mysterious Blueprint

PETER DOCKRILL 26 OCTOBER 2021

You can't see them from the surface, but they're definitely there. Scientists have revealed the discovery of hundreds of ancient ceremonial sites, many of which belonged to the Maya civilization, hiding in plain sight just underneath the landscape of modern-day southern Mexico.

The largest of these structures – called Aguada Fénix – was announced by archaeologists last year, representing the oldest and biggest monument of the ancient Maya ever found. But Aguada Fénix clearly was not alone.

In a new study, an international team of researchers led by anthropologist Takeshi Inomata from the University of Arizona reports the identification of almost 500 ceremonial complexes tracing back not just to the Maya, but also to another Mesoamerican civilization who made their mark on the land even earlier, the Olmecs.

As with the discovery of Aguada Fénix, the sites identified in the new analysis (478 in total) were found the same way: using LIDAR, which combs the land with lasers during an aerial survey, detecting three-dimensional archaeological structures buried beneath vegetation and other surface features.



3D image of the site of Aguada Fénix based on LIDAR. (Takeshi Inomata)

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/hundreds-of-ancient-maya-sites-hidden-under-mexico-reveal-a-mysterious-blueprint