new mayans A city missing for centuries in the jungles of southern Mexico has been discovered on a PhD student’s computer hundreds of miles away. This is the story of how he made it happen.
Named Valeriana after the nearby freshwater lagoon, the settlement is a classic Maya political capital, with an enclosed plaza, pyramids, ball fields, reservoir, and an architectural layout that suggests foundations before 150 AD. It is said to have all the characteristics of Newly published research in journals ancient.
And how did Tulane University graduate student Luke Old-Thomas find it? The answer lies in the laser. Until recently, archeology was limited to what researchers could see from the ground. But technology that uses light to detect and measure distance, known as lidar, has revolutionized the field, making it possible to scan entire areas for ruins hidden under dense vegetation or concrete.
Let’s go back in time. In 1848, Guatemala’s Governor of Petén, Modesto Méndez, along with contemporary artist and chronicler Ambrosio Tutankhamun, rediscovered Tikal, one of the Maya’s most majestic ruins. In the mid-19th century, little was known about this advanced culture that calculated the cycles of the moon, sun, and Venus, and invented hieroglyphs and the concept of the number zero with few tools.
Tikal is surrounded by dense rainforest and the lack of roads made it extremely difficult to reach the ruins. However, the Guatemalan government ventured deep into the peten jungle in search of cultural heritage anyway. Guided by rumors from the locals, machete in hand, tape measure and compass in hand, they entered the jungle of Peten on a nearly impossible mission. When Mendez and his team arrived at the Tikal ruins, they were surprised to see huge temples and pyramids, mostly covered in jungle. Hidden by nature, the most impressive structures towered above the tree canopy. Although Tikal is partially buried, it has retained its majesty and provided clues about the city’s enormity.
History repeated itself in 2024, but with some important changes. Old Thomas used a search engine as a weapon, not a machete. WIRED spoke with him and Marcello Canuto, director of the Tulane Central America Institute, about the discovery this week.
(Tag Translation) Archeology
