On the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, a team of archaeologists discovered an ancient Mayan city deep in the jungle of the state of Campeche. Researchers believe the site served as an important population center in the period from 250 CE until the decline of the Classic Maya civilization. circa 900 AD. National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) announcement the conclusions of yesterday, June 20.
The ruins are scattered over 125 acres of dense vegetation inside the Balamkú Ecological Reserve, where other ancient Maya colonies have been discovered in the past. The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping at the University of Houston mapped the densely forested area in March with a LiDAR laser scan. A large group of ruins has emerged on an expansive hill surrounded by wetlands.
From May to June, archaeologists led by Ivan Šprajc from the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts explored the elevated area. The work is part of a larger initiative by the Mexican government to explore the central Maya lowlands. (Last month in neighboring Guatemala, another team of historians find another forgotten city in the same Maya Lowlands region.)
Šprajc and his team found several pyramids nearly 50 feet tall, a ball court, three main plazas, side yards, and a road. At the northwest end of the thoroughfare, the team also found a large rectangular acropolis.
Archaeologists also discovered a number of stone cylinders which they believe were used in entrances and named the newly discovered city “Ocomtún”. The word translates to “stone column” in Yucatec Maya, a language related to that spoken by the ancient Maya.
The team also found other artifacts nearby, including additional stairs and columns. Šprajc believes that these spaces may have been markets or places used for communal rituals, but further research is needed to determine their exact function.
Researchers have also found shrines in the center of the courtyards. The chief archaeologist thinks that these artifacts could testify to the decline of the city: the objects were built with materials taken from the surrounding buildings, which, according to Šprajc, could reflect the changes in population.
Historians have often attributed the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization to a long droughtbut some historians believe the real reason may be more complex.
