Archaeologists discover settlements from ancient Mayan civilization

Recently a piece of history from 800 A.D. has led scientists towards ground-breaking discoveries. The Maya Civilization, one of the most dominant indigenous communities of Mesoamerica, has recently been revisited by archaeologists updating their maps of the region. What began as a minor trip to the Mayan ruins resulted in the uncovering of a megalopolis beyond all expectations.

The Mayan Civilization was one the most advanced civilizations of its time. It pioneered multiple innovations, including a complete l language (hieroglyphics), water reservoirs, structured governments and even chocolate.

However, considerable mystery still surrounds their history. . According to History on the Net, “the deeper we dive into the Mayan universe, the more obscure our vision of it becomes. After years of research and excavations, historians are still unable to tell us who these people really were, where they came from, and how their great empire collapsed.” For example, the Mayans were originally thought to be a peaceful nation but as time and research progressed, it was discovered that they were frequently involved in warfare.

On February 2nd, a group of researchers led a team to the Mayan ruins. “By raining down laser pulses on some 770 square miles of dense forest in northern Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered 60,000 Maya structures that make up full sprawling cities,” according to NPR.

This discovery is not one to take lightly especially with an ancient civilization as renowned the Mayan. When these researchers soared over the jungles and used technology to peer through the thick treetops, they realized that spaces they thought to be empty actually contained cities and small towns. The lowlands that they thought to be populated by a million people was in truth populated by almost twenty million.

Although these archaeologists set out to find more settlements, they did not expect to stumble upon so many. This discovery foreshadowed the importance of the laser technology used, “LiDAR” (light detection and ranging).

Tejas Nazare, a member of Richard Montgomery High School’s archaeology club states, “This is obviously a very large breakthrough, a game changer, in learning about the Mayan civilization. Using the laser mapping technology, we’ve already seen how the Mayans had sophisticated large-scale warfare, and essentially had been engineering the landscape to their advantage. By using a noninvasive technique we are learning so much more about the Mayans, and in my opinion we will continue to discover more. It is essentially like digital deforestation, obviously more environmentally friendly.”

Nazare brings up the great point that archaeologists are using a non-invasive techniques, allowing them to preserve and protect the environment and all the infrastructure they discover. Images taken from a high altitude is sufficient to map an entire chunk of land.
Researchers are finding more and more innovative ways to conduct their research without disturbing ancient history. In the future, there will most likely be several more groundbreaking discoveries. As of now, the Mayan civilization still has many cities and towns waiting to be unearthed.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Faith Cheung of Richard Montgomery High School