Lidar reveals a hidden Mayan city

A relief of the ancient Maya site archaeologists are calling Ocomtún. (Image: Žiga Kokalj/ZRC SAZU)

In a biological preserve in Mexico’s Campeche State, a team of archaeologists have documented pyramids, palaces, a ball court and other remains of an ancient city they call Ocomtún, reported the New York Times.

Archeologists surveyed the site for six weeks in May and June, finding  50-foot-tall (15.2-meter-tall) structures resembling pyramids, as well as pottery and Mayan engravings they believe date to between 600 and 900 AD. The team determined the city was likely abandoned more than 1,000 years ago.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) hailed their findings late last month, saying they discovered the ancient city in “a vast area practically unknown to archaeology.”

“I’m often asked why nobody has come there, and I say, ‘Well, probably because you need to be a little nuts to go there,” said Ivan Sprajc, the survey’s lead archaeologist and a professor at a Slovenian research center, ZRC SAZU. “It’s not an easy job.”

Surveying the area has been revolutionized over the last decade by lidar — allowing researchers to survey densely forested areas that are difficult to explore on foot. Archeologists were able to use airborne lasers to pierce through dense vegetation and reveal the ancient structures and human-modified landscapes beneath.

INAH described the site as having once been a major center of Mayan life. Surrounded by wetlands, Ocomtún includes pyramids, plazas, elite residences and “strange” complexes of structures arranged almost in concentric circles, Dr. Sprajc told CNN.

“For example, we have several very curious architecture complexes of structures which are arranged in almost concentric circles. So, we are only guessing what this could be. Perhaps marketplaces,” he added.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History team plans to return next year for further investigation.