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اكتشاف مدينة مايا الضخمة في المكسيك infographic
Graphic locates and characterises the Maya city of Valeriana.
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اكتشاف مدينة مايا الضخمة في المكسيك

By Jordi Bou

October 29, 2024 - اكتشف فريق من الباحثين مدينة مايا المفقودة المخفية منذ قرون تحت مظلة الغابة في المكسيك باستخدام بيانات ليدار - وهو نوع من المسح بالليزر يرسم خرائط للتضاريس المدفونة تحت الغطاء النباتي.

The city, named Valeriana after a nearby lagoon, contains up to 6,674 structures, including pyramids like the ones at Chichén Itzá and Tikal, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity.

The researchers used previously created lidar (light detection and ranging) maps, which are created by shooting laser pulses at the ground, to reveal the potentially 1,500-year-old site.

The city, which may have been home to 30-50,000 people at its peak in 750-850 AD, shows “all the hallmarks of a Classic Maya political capital,” including multiple enclosed plazas connected by a broad causeway, temple pyramids, and a ball court, the researchers noted.

Archaeologists believe Valeriana is second in density only to Calakmul, thought to be the largest Maya site in ancient Latin America.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 30/10/2024; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Luke Auld-Thomas et al/Cambridge University Press
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