Mesoamerican Archaeology: Almost 1,000 Hidden Maya Settlements Along Northern Guatemala Have Been Uncovered by Scientists

The uncovering of 1,000 Maya settlements is quite a remarkable feat when it comes to the discovery of lost civilizations. Such settlements were spotted along northern Guatemala with the help of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser scanning across the air.

1,000 Maya Settlements Found

According to Science Alert, these settlements cover quite a vast area. Live Science also reports that a massive site has a stretch of roughly 650 square miles. It takes up the MCKB (Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin) and its surrounding scope. Such places would have been populated from 1,000 BCE up to 250 BCE.

Researchers note that the discovered settlements were packed quite densely. This suggests further evidence regarding how prehistoric Mesoamerican sites were full of people.

Findings Provide Evidence for a Densely Populated Ancient Region

The study was included in the Cambridge publication.

The new findings are quite comprehensive as it comes to homes, religious centers, sports courts, civic centers, causeway networks, and canal networks. The researchers note how several of these settlements show a relationship with their nearby constituents that is geographical, social, and political in nature. They also add how this had led to consolidating over 417 ancient civilizations, villages, and towns that have identifiable site delineations.

The connections noted between the habitation points suggest that these could all have been part of a state that was similar to a kingdom. This is in the sense that politics and ideologies would have been shared across several of these sites.

The researchers note that it would take various skills to come up with these structures. In fact, various specialists such as architects, lithic technicians, lime producers, quarry and mortar specialists, religious authorities, and legal enforcers would have all been involved in the process.

The magnitude of labor when it comes to constructing massive structures such as causeways, dams, palaces, pyramids, and platforms suggests the capacity to manage and organize over thousands of specialists and workers.

Science Alert also notes evidence regarding water collection and smart drainage systems. Such systems enabled easier water movement across settlements during floods and droughts. This is something that the Mayans are recognized as experts in.

LIDAR Technology

The LIDAR offers aerial scanning that is light-based, which is what led to the discovery of such settlements. This capacity implies that specialists can look into the canopies of forests and the growth of vegetation on the underlying solid structures. Over the years, the said technologies have been used to reveal Amazonian and Cambodian civilizations.

Now, this technology has led to the discovery of yet another network of civilizations. Science Alert notes how individuals may expect even more discoveries and hidden gems to be uncovered through the LIDAR.

The researchers also argue that the infrastructure developments show how intricate societies, which had strong socio-economic systems and political power in the Middle and Late Preclassic periods, were indeed present.

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