Archaeologists Unearth Hidden Maya City Valeriana in Mexico's Jungle

Using advanced Lidar technology, a team led by PhD student Luke Auld-Thomas has uncovered Valeriana, an ancient Maya city with extensive infrastructure, located within the dense jungle of Campeche, Mexico. This find promotes a reassessment of ancient lifestyles in the tropics and suggests that many more ruins await discovery beneath the vegetation.

A significant archaeological breakthrough has occurred in the dense jungles of southern Mexico, where researchers have uncovered the remains of a long-lost Maya city named Valeriana. The discovery is notable as it contradicts longstanding assumptions regarding the ancient civilization's decline in tropical regions.

Valeriana, which may have been home to an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 inhabitants during its peak between 750 and 850 AD, was identified through the use of Lidar, a cutting-edge laser survey technology that reveals structures masked by foliage. The city boasts pyramids, sports fields, extensive causeways, and amphitheatres, placing it as the second densest known Maya site after Calakmul, thought to be the largest in the region.

The initial locate of Valeriana was serendipitous. Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student at Tulane University, discovered the data while researching online. "I was browsing through the laser survey results, and I noticed a significant urban area that had been overlooked by others," he recounted. This led Auld-Thomas and his team to conduct further analysis, confirming the presence of a sophisticated urban center.

The name Valeriana is derived from a nearby lagoon, and the city’s structure indicates it had the characteristics of a major urban center, with two main hubs connected by residential areas and pathways. Evidence of plazas for worship and an ancient ball game court point towards a vibrant community life.

Experts, including Professor Marcello Canuto, emphasize that these findings challenge the notion that tropical regions were merely graveyards for civilizations. Rather, the results highlight the rich cultural history that existed in these areas. “This city exemplifies the complexity and density of Maya urbanization which was undervalued in prior interpretations,” Canuto stated.

The researchers identified that Valeriana supported a large population and had infrastructure that included a reservoir, suggesting an engagement with the local environment for sustainable living. Yet, factors such as climate change have been implicated in its eventual decline.

In confirming this discovery, the research contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the Maya civilization experienced substantial urban settlement rather than isolated communities. Elizabeth Graham from University College London remarked on the implications for understanding the historic Demographics of the region.

The advent of Lidar technology in archaeology, which enables vast areas to be surveyed efficiently, opens doors to uncover additional ancient sites below the jungle canopy. According to Auld-Thomas, the sheer number of discoveries made possible by Lidar presents a logistical challenge for excavation and study. “We can only manage so many sites, and it’s daunting to realize how many potentially world-changing sites may remain hidden,” he noted.

As research on Valeriana and similar sites progresses, significant historical threads of the Maya civilization are being rewoven, allowing a deeper understanding of the complexities of these ancient societies. The findings have been published in the journal Antiquity, further adding to the growing literature on the significance of Mesoamerican archaeological studies.