Graduate student discovers ancient Mayan city in Mexican jungle

Nov 01, 2024

Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), Mirlie Larose (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

An ancient Mayan city buried for centuries in Mexico’s jungles was recently discovered by a Tulane University graduate student examining old land survey data. Luke Auld-Thomas, a Ph.D. student at Tulane, identified the city while analyzing publicly available, decade-old laser mapping data of the region.

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Using LiDAR, a technology that employs laser pulses to penetrate dense forest canopy, Auld-Thomas uncovered the massive settlement, named “Valeriana,” hidden for centuries in the state of Campeche.

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The site spans an area one and a half times the size of Washington, D.C., with more than 6,600 structures, including pyramids resembling those at Chichén Itzá and Tikal. Archaeologists have hailed LiDAR as transformative, calling it “digital deforestation” because it allows them to explore sites beneath the jungle canopy without disturbing the natural landscape.

Researchers estimate that the city, which may have been home to as many as 50,000 people, likely collapsed between 800 and 1,000 A.D.

Tags: Mexico

Jack Aylmer

AN ANCIENT MAYAN CITY BURIED CENTURIES AGO IN THE JUNGLES OF MEXICO WAS JUST DISCOVERED.

IT WASN’T PART OF A LONG, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SEARCH, RATHER IT WAS STUMBLED UPON BY A GRAD STUDENT ON HIS COMPUTER LOOKING AT OLD LAND SURVEY DATA.

LUKE AULD-THOMAS, A PH.D. STUDENT AT TULANE UNIVERSITY, DISCOVERED THE ANCIENT CITY WHILE LOOKING AT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE 10 YEAR OLD LASER MAPPING OF THE AREA..

LIDAR (LEE-DAR), A HIGH-TECH TOOL THAT USES LASER PULSES TO PIERCE THROUGH FOREST CANOPY AND REVEAL WHAT’S BELOW UNCOVERED A HUGE SETTLEMENT DUBBED “VALERIANA,” HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES IN THE STATE OF CAMPECHE.

THE DISCOVERY IS BIG – AN AREA ONE-AND-A-HALF TIMES THE SIZE OF WASHINGTON, D.C., WITH MORE THAN 6,600 STRUCTURES, INCLUDING PYRAMIDS SIMILAR TO THE ONES AT CHICHÉN ITZÁ AND TIKAL (TEE-KUL).

ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAY LIDAR (LEE-DAR) TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN REVOLUTIONARY FOR THEIR FIELD. IT LETS THEM PEER THROUGH THE TREES WITHOUT CUTTING A SINGLE ONE, CALLING IT “DIGITAL DEFORESTATION.”

THE RESEARCHERS THINK THIS CITY, HOME TO AS MANY AS 50-THOUSAND PEOPLE AT ITS PEAK, COLLAPSED BETWEEN 8-HUNDRED AND 1-THOUSAND A-D..

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Graduate student discovers ancient Mayan city in Mexican jungle

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