In June, a team of archaeologists discovered a long-lost Mayan city, complete with pyramids, palaces and even a sports complex, beneath the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.
The ancient Mayan site, now named Okomutun, has been identified in the Balamuk Ecological Reserve and covers more than 50 hectares, large enough to hide a pyramid that rises to the sky, some 50 feet tall. according to To the news release from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. The site is believed to have been constructed and used around 250-1000 AD and included numerous large buildings, plazas, ball fields, and columns suggesting larger structures.
The site extends to the La Liguena River and is characterized by “no steps, no monolithic columns, no monuments with inscriptions,” the news release said. Archaeologists have hacked through the jungle to explore ancient ruins, but discoveries were initially made using LiDAR technology.
“New Late Classical Mayan City Discovered and Named Ocomtun” pic.twitter.com/Ut5JkDE4ny
— Ilya Brackett (@darknight858) June 24, 2023
“Too often these stories about the ‘Lost City of the Jungle’ are either very minor or fabricated by journalists,” says political anthropologist Simon Martin, who was not involved in the study. Said New York Times. “But this is much closer to the real deal.” (Related: Archaeologists claim ‘man-made Amazon features’)
While the discovery certainly comes as a shock to many, as the area was considered a “blank land,” researchers don’t believe it will change the story of Maya life and their wider civilization much. However, it suggests that the secrets of our past are sometimes hidden in plain sight and just steps from where we live today.
The Maya civilization is believed to have been brought to the brink of collapse about 1,000 years ago by extreme weather and political turmoil. Before they collapsed, they developed intricate agricultural and hydropower techniques to capture water through limestone-rich formations in what is today a very inhospitable area.
