Recent research using advanced lidar technology has uncovered 6,674 previously unknown Maya structures in an unexplored part of Campeche, Mexico, suggesting that we have not yet come close to finding all the major Maya cities.
Luke Auld-Thomas from Northern Arizona University led this groundbreaking study.
He explained that, until now, most knowledge of the Maya civilization came from small areas painstakingly mapped by archaeologists on foot, using machetes to clear dense vegetation.
But with modern lidar technology, which scans the landscape from above, researchers can detect hidden structures, like pyramids, houses, and other features of Maya cities, without ever stepping into the jungle.
The downside of lidar is its cost. Funding organizations are cautious about investing in areas where there’s no known evidence of Maya civilization.
As a result, some regions, like parts of Campeche, remained a blank spot on archaeological maps.
That was until Auld-Thomas had an idea: what if someone else had already conducted a lidar survey for other purposes?
As it turned out, in 2013, a consortium focused on Mexico’s forest conservation had carried out a detailed lidar survey in Campeche. Auld-Thomas, along with researchers from Tulane University, Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, and the University of Houston, analyzed the data to map about 50 square miles of previously unexplored land.
Their findings, now published in the journal Antiquity, revealed a rich and diverse landscape full of unstudied Maya settlements, including an entire city.
“We didn’t just find small rural settlements,” Auld-Thomas explained. “We also discovered a large city with pyramids right next to the region’s only highway. The scientific community and the government didn’t even know it existed, and local farmers have been working among these ruins for years.”
These findings add new fuel to the debate over just how many undiscovered Maya sites still exist. They suggest that there are many more cities, settlements, and structures yet to be found. Future research will focus on fieldwork at these newly discovered sites, offering more insights into the diverse ways ancient cities functioned.
Auld-Thomas emphasized the importance of learning from ancient cities, which were often very different from today’s urban centers.
“Studying these cities could help us face modern challenges like rapid population growth and environmental pressures,” he said. “By expanding our understanding of past urban life, we might find new and sustainable ways to design cities in the future.”
The discoveries in Campeche highlight that we have barely begun to uncover the mysteries of the Maya civilization and that much remains to be explored.
