An ancient Mayan city, hidden for centuries, has been uncovered in the rain forest of Mexico. Researchers named the city Chactun, which translates as "Large Rock" or "Red Rock." It is believed the city, at its height, was home to between 30,000 and 40,000 people, although that estimate is not certain. The city likely flourished between A.D. 600 and 900, during what is known as the Late Classic Period of the civilization of the Maya.
Ivan Sprajc of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts led the expedition. His team found 15 pyramids, the largest of which was 75 feet tall. They also uncoverd plazas, ball courts, round stone altars and stone decorative shafts known as stelae. One of these stelae was originally given the name Chactun by the archaeologists, who then applied the name to the ancient city as a whole. It is believed that this pillar was erected in the year 751 on orders of the ruler K'inich B'ahlam. Ceramic offerings were discovered in front of some of the stelae, suggesting the stones were areas of worship.
The presence of ball courts may suggest that Chactun was a major city, in the way that modern sports teams are present in our largest metropolitan areas. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico believes that the city may have held a government center as well, based on its size.
"It is one of the largest sites in the Central Lowlands, comparable in its extent and the magnitude of its buildings with Becan, Nadzcaan and El Palmar in Campeche," Sprajc said.
The site, located 75 miles west of Chetumal on the Yucatan Peninsula in the province of Campeche, stretches over 55 acres. Three large buildings in the west, southwest and northeast comprise the largest structures found in the long-abandoned city.
Strangely, Sprajc and his team were not the first modern people to visit the city.
"Lumberjacks and gum extractors were certainly already there, because we saw cuts on the trees. What happened is they never told anyone," Sprajc said.
Evidence of the city was first found on aerial photographs examined by Sprajc 15 years ago. His team cleared a 10-mile long path through the jungle to reach the area, then took six weeks mapping their finds.
Researchers believe that the discovery may help scientists piece together why the Mayan civilization collapsed 1,000 years ago. It is thought that wars, rebellions, and climate change may have led to the city being abandoned around the year A.D. 1000.
The Mayan Empire stretched over what is now the Yucatan Penisula in Mexico, along with Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
The excavation in eastern Mexico was funded by the National Geographic Society and a pair of European businesses.
