Rediscovery of Valeriana: A Hidden Mayan City Unearthed in Mexico

Using advanced Lidar technology, archaeologists have uncovered Valeriana, a massive Mayan city once home to an estimated 30,000-50,000 people. This unexpected find challenges assumptions about ancient civilizations in tropical regions, highlighting their complexity and resilience.

A remarkable find in the jungles of southeastern Mexico has led to the identification of a previously lost Mayan city known as Valeriana. This ancient city, lost for centuries under dense foliage, features an elaborate network of structures including pyramids, sports facilities, and extensive causeways. Located in the state of Campeche, Valeriana is believed to rival Calakmul, currently identified as the largest Mayan site in ancient Latin America.

This significant discovery was made inadvertently by anthropologist Luke Auld-Thomas while searching online. “I was on page 16 of a Google search,” he explained, revealing that he came across a radar survey meant for environmental monitoring. Utilizing Lidar, a remote sensing technology that emits radar pulses to penetrate vegetation, Auld-Thomas was able to identify the substantial urban complex that may have housed tens of thousands of residents during its peak in 750 to 850 AD.

Named after a nearby lagoon, Valeriana's discovery contributes to a reevaluation of historical narratives that paint tropical regions as settings for the decline of civilizations. As Professor Marcello Canuto noted, this find highlights the sophisticated cultures that thrived in this area. The eventual abandonment of Valeriana is thought to be linked to climate change, which had severe impacts on the populous city.

The site sprawls over 16.6 square kilometers, containing multiple centers that include extensive residential structures and pyramids where religious activities likely took place. The discovery also revealed evidence of a community that engaged in athletic competitions, as well as reservoirs indicating advanced infrastructure for supporting a large population.

Professor Elizabeth Graham, who did not participate in the study, emphasized that this research supports the existence of complex Mayan urban centers, contradicting the notion that the region was sparse and uninhabited. The research suggests that the collapse of Mayan civilization post-800 AD could be attributed to overpopulation and lack of adaptability to emerging climate issues, alongside the influence of warfare and Spanish conquest.

Lidar technology is reshaping archaeological approaches to landscapes covered by vegetation. According to Professor Canuto, it has revealed a tenfold increase in mapped area compared to a century's worth of traditional archaeological surveys, suggesting an abundance of undiscovered sites that lie hidden beneath the jungle cover. Auld-Thomas anticipates the exploration of Valeriana in the future but acknowledges the challenge of studying the multitude of newly found urban sites, indicating that many may remain unexamined.

The details of this research were shared in the journal Antiquity, furthering the understanding of Mayan civilization within the context of their environmental and social dynamics.