They discover a Mayan city with pyramids hidden in the jungle, thanks to LiDAR

We still have a lot to discover about the pre-Columbian cultures that were partially swallowed by the jungle.

Members of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) are already inspecting the ruins of a new mayan city hidden under the jungle.

This new Mayan settlement has been baptized with the name of ocomtunwhich in Mayan means “column”, as explained by the BBC.

The reason is that on the surface of the city, devoured by vegetation, practically the only things that can be seen are the columns of the elevated areas of the buildingsas well as some stepswhich can be seen in the opening photo of the news.

A Mayan city from more than 1,000 years ago

This discovery has been possible thanks to the LiDAR of the University of Houston, used on an airplane.

Here you can see the image captured by the LiDARwhere the pyramid structureon the right:

The city is grouped in something more than 1 Kilometer of distance, as seen by the scale. It has been located in the Balamkú ecological reserve, in Campeche, Mexico.

Due to the pottery found in the surroundings, it is estimated that the city of ocomtun flourished between the 600s and 800s. Then something happened to cause it to be abandoned, and the jungle ended up hiding it.

The Mayan civilization It spread through Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico, leaving majestic settlements in its wake, such as Chichen Itza.

Many of these settlements, lost in the jungle, have yet to be discovered. A few months ago, using the same technique, the LiDARdiscovered a Mayan city with more than 960 buildings in Guatemala.

Ocomtún was a notable settlementas indicated by the pyramid over 15 meters high that has been discovered.

The finding is part of a campaign by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), which is exploring 3,000 square kilometers of junglein search of archaeological remains.

The new mayan city, Ocomtúncan provide valuable information that helps to unravel some of the secrets of one of the most important civilizations in the history of humanity.