Editorial

Ancient Mayan Cities And ‘Super Highways’ Revealed In Shocking Study

Shutterstock/Maya

Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
Font Size:

A team of researchers discovered a series of 3,000-year-old Mayan cities and highways in northern Guatemala, according to a study published in early December.

The high-tech study revealed at least 1,000 ancient Maya settlements, including more than 400 new cities that appear to have been linked by the world’s first known highway system, according to Reuters. The cities and infrastructure were previously hidden under dense jungles in northern Guatemala and southern Mexico, but have now been revealed through LiDAR data that allows researchers to see beneath the vegetation.

All of the newly discovered structures were built hundreds of years before the largest Maya states developed, Reuters noted. The study’s findings also included what appear to be “highways or superhighways” stretching for around 110 miles, the researchers noted.

The team also believe they’ve found pyramids, what appear to be ball game courts and significant infrastructure related to water engineering, including dams, irrigation canals and reservoirs, Reuters noted. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE INFO: Joe Rogan Guest Says Thousands Of Ancient Artifacts Were Dumped, Tells Public Where To Find Them)

“It shows the economic, political and social complexity of what was happening simultaneously across this entire area,” lead researcher Richard Hansen told Reuters.

The entire region covers roughly 650 square miles, and seems to show that inhabitants lived in dense population hubs, according to Phys.Org. This finding goes against previous theories that Mesoamerican settlements were sparsely populated, yet another recent discovery that challenges a long-held consensus among establishment archeologists.