Lost Maya city found in Mexican jungle using laser technology

A previously unknown Maya city, hidden for centuries beneath the jungle canopy in Mexico’s Campeche region, has been discovered by archaeologists using advanced laser technology. The massive site named Valeriana, was uncovered by chance when a Tulane University researcher stumbled upon aerial survey data on Google.

Discovery details a sprawling, sophisticated civilization

Using Lidar technology, which maps structures beneath dense vegetation by firing thousands of laser pulses from above, researchers detected pyramids, sports fields, and causeways connecting different city districts, reminiscent of Calakmul, another major Maya site nearby. Tulane University PhD student Luke Auld-Thomas, who processed the data, revealed that Valeriana may have supported a population of 30,000–50,000 people during its peak between 750 and 850 AD. This number would exceed the region’s current population.

The newfound complex includes two major centers linked by extensive housing and causeways. The Maya likely used these plazas, temples, and courts for ceremonies, burial rituals, and ancient ball games. Evidence of reservoirs in the region suggests that Valeriana’s population leveraged landscape engineering to support its community.

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Rediscovering the hidden history of the Maya

Professor Marcello Canuto, a co-author of the research, noted that the study shifts Western perspectives on tropical civilizations, highlighting the rich, complex cultures that thrived in these regions. “This discovery reinforces that the Tropics was home to sophisticated, densely populated societies,” he explained.

Despite the city’s large scale, Valeriana has remained hidden just 15 minutes from a major road, and it is believed that residents may have long suspected the presence of ancient ruins beneath the vegetation.

Ancient climate challenges and Maya decline

The research team believes Valeriana’s dense population may have contributed to its eventual decline as drought and climate challenges emerged around 800 AD. As environmental stresses escalated, densely populated cities may have become unsustainable, leading inhabitants to migrate in search of resources. The Spanish conquest in the 16th century further contributed to the dismantling of Maya city-states.

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“It’s suggesting that the landscape was just completely full of people at the onset of drought conditions and it didn’t have a lot of flexibility left. And so maybe the entire system basically unraveled as people moved farther away,” says Auld-Thomas.

The future of Maya archaeology with Lidar technology

Lidar technology has transformed archaeological exploration, particularly in dense, vegetation-covered regions like the Tropics, says Prof. Canuto. Unlike earlier methods that relied on slow, manual ground surveys, Lidar has mapped nearly ten times the area archaeologists could survey over a century in the Mesoamerican region.

Archaeologist Mr. Auld-Thomas notes that numerous undiscovered sites likely remain hidden, with Lidar already revealing far more ancient Maya cities than researchers can realistically study. “Valeriana, so close to the road, seems within reach, yet we may never initiate a project there,” he says, underscoring the challenge of prioritizing locations.

This research was published in the journal Antiquity.