Accidental Discovery!💥💣Student Finds Lost Mayan City in Jungle

2024/10/30

Student Accidentally Discovers Ancient Mayan City Hidden in Mexican Jungle

In an unexpected twist straight out of an adventure movie, a Ph.D. student in archaeology has stumbled upon an ancient Mayan city lost for centuries in the jungles of southeastern Mexico. Luke Auld-Thomas, while conducting research with a small team, made the remarkable find near Campeche, Mexico, where he uncovered the city now named Valeriana—a discovery that could redefine our understanding of ancient Mayan civilization.

A Surprising Find in the Heart of the Jungle

The ancient city of Valeriana, named after a nearby lagoon, emerged during a survey when Auld-Thomas stumbled upon unusual topographical data. “I was on something like page 16 of Google search and found a laser survey done by a Mexican organization,” he shared, illustrating the surprising nature of his discovery. This data, generated using Lidar—a technology that employs laser pulses to map surfaces from the air—revealed large, intricate structures hidden beneath dense vegetation.

Exploring Valeriana: Pyramids, Causeways, and Amphitheaters

Once the data was analyzed, Auld-Thomas and his team found themselves face-to-face with an enormous, previously unknown Mayan city. The city contained vast pyramids, sports fields, and intricate causeways connecting districts, suggesting a high level of urban organization.

For Auld-Thomas, who called the environment “colorful, lush, and striking,” the scale of the find was astounding. He described the vibrant palaces and temples as once painted in colors like red, pink, and yellow—a stark contrast to the ruins’ current state.

A City of Artisans and Marketplaces: Life in Ancient Valeriana

Based on their analysis of the site, Auld-Thomas and his team believe Valeriana once housed an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people, likely thriving between 750 and 850 AD.

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