Ancient civilizations hidden deep in the jungle: the ruins of a Mayan city in Guatemala
Recently, a study revealed the hidden remains of the Mayan civilization deep in the jungles of northern Guatemala. The ruins are made up of 417 cities connected by a total of 177 kilometers of roads, forming the "world's first highway system". This discovery has brought back a new understanding of the complexity and sophistication of the ancient Mayan civilization in Mesoamerica.
Explore the Mayan civilization
The Maya civilization was one of the most important cultures of ancient Mesoamerica. It dates back to around 2000 BC and is mainly found in present-day countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. The Maya were a highly developed society with advanced agricultural techniques, building techniques, and mathematical knowledge.
However, in the early 20th century, archaeologists knew very little about the Maya civilization. It was not until the 50s of the 20th century that large-scale archaeological investigations and excavations were carried out. These activities reveal a wealth of valuable archaeological materials, including carvings, murals, pottery, architectural ruins, and more. These findings have greatly improved people's understanding of the Maya civilization.
However, there are still many questions left unanswered. For example, how did the Maya build those magnificent pyramids and cities? How do they deal with water and agricultural production? These questions have long puzzled archaeologists.
New technologies reveal ancient road systems
In recent years, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, archaeologists have begun to adopt new technologies for research. LiDAR technology is one of them. The technology can outline stereoscopic images of objects obscured by dense vegetation and tree canopies, revealing the remains of ancient civilizations hidden deep in the jungle.
Using lidar technology, archaeologists in the United States and Guatemala have been mapping the jungle area "Mirador" on the Guatemalan-Mexico border since 2015. They found that under this dense vegetation cover, the ruins of 417 Mayan cities were hidden, which were connected by "super highways" totaling about 177 kilometers.
One of the largest of these sites, the city site, has multiple roads connecting the surrounding small towns, which clearly shows its administrative, economic and political importance at the time. This also shows that the ancient Maya civilization in Central America was far more advanced than previously thought. It was previously widely believed that the Maya lived nomadically, hunting, and gathering during this period, but this discovery changed our understanding of their production methods and social structure.
Implications from new discoveries
The discovery unveils "a piece of human history that we never knew about," as remains from that period are so rare that many were buried by later Mayan buildings and then covered by jungle. Enrique Hernández, an archaeologist at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala who has been working in the area for many years and one of the authors of the study, said that when the archaeological work in the area is completely completed, the results may be as important in human history as the Egyptian pyramids.
In addition, the new findings remind us how important it is to protect the natural environment and cultural heritage. Without dense vegetation cover, these cultural heritage sites may have been destroyed by human activities. Therefore, we should pay more attention to environmental protection and the protection of cultural heritage.
epilogue
The Mayan civilization is a culture full of mystery and charm. Through the use of new technologies, we were able to reveal ancient cities and road systems hidden deep in the jungle, which gave us a deeper understanding of the Mayan civilization. At the same time, it also reminds us to pay more attention to environmental protection and cultural heritage protection, so as not to lose precious historical heritage.