A newly discovered Mayan city, hidden for centuries in the dense jungles of southern Mexico, has been identified from afar by a PhD student. The city, named Valeriana after a nearby freshwater lagoon, exhibits the features typical of a Maya political capital. It includes enclosed plazas, pyramids, a ball court, a reservoir, and an architectural design suggesting its establishment before 150 AD. Details of this discovery have been published in the journal Antiquity.
Luke Auld-Thomas, a graduate student at Tulane University, made this discovery using advanced technology. Historically, archaeology relied on what could be seen from the ground level. However, the advent of light detection and ranging technology, or lidar, has transformed archaeological research by enabling the visualization of sites obscured by dense forests or urban development.
In historical context, these findings can be compared to earlier explorations. In 1848, Modesto Méndez, governor of Petén, Guatemala, accompanied by artist and chronicler Ambrosio Tut, rediscovered Tikal, one of the grandest archaeological sites of the Mayan civilization. At that time, the dense rainforest and lack of access made exploration difficult. Despite these challenges, the Guatemalan government pursued its cultural heritage through the jungle, encouraged by local rumors. Using rudimentary tools, Méndez and his team were astounded by Tikal’s grand temples and pyramids, which, although largely hidden by the jungle, suggested the immense scale of the city.
In contrast, 2024 saw a modern variation of archaeological discovery, where Auld-Thomas employed digital tools rather than machetes. WIRED reported on the discovery, speaking with Auld-Thomas and Marcello Canuto, director of Tulane’s Middle American Research Institute, about their findings.
