Lost City Discovered

Archaeologists have discovered a Maya city beneath the jungle canopy in Campeche, Mexico, according to a study released yesterday. The ancient site, dubbed Valeriana by the team, contains more than 6,600 structures, including pyramids and ball courts. It is believed to be one of the largest Maya sites in Latin America.

The city, which may have housed up to 50,000 people during the Classic Maya period (years 250 to 900), features two major centers about 1.2 miles apart, linked by causeways. Researchers suggest Valeriana was likely an important political or economic center in the region due to its layout and construction.

Archaeologists discovered the city by analyzing preexisting lidar data—a technique in which variations in surface height are measured using airborne laser mapping. The site was found when a researcher stumbled upon the data, originally gathered for ecological and forestry studies, online. Learn more about other discoveries enabled by lidar here.