The ancient Mayans ruled a vast area of what is now northern Guatemala. It became the leading Mesoamerican civilization as early as 1800 BC, with millions of people living in a series of city-states scattered throughout the jungles of Mesoamerica.
The Mayans were very advanced, especially in astronomy and mathematics, they developed their calendar system and writing. They were engineers and architects who built huge urban complexes, including roads, irrigation, reservoir systems, and huge temples, all without metal or heavy equipment, just stone.
Archaeologists and scientists have collected enough evidence over the years to support the fact that they were a thriving empire, but despite all their achievements, the civilization mysteriously collapsed around AD 900. There are many theories as to why their culture unexpectedly disappeared – including a fan-favorite mass alien abduction.
War, disease, and starvation were considered, but no definitive answers were found—just more questions were raised: What was Mayan society really like? Is it simple or complex? Is there an elaborate class system? How did your network of city-states develop, and was there a political conspiracy at the time?
Traditionally, archaeologists have relied primarily on working at small dig sites to gather information about this lost civilization. We’ve learned a lot about them so far, including their language, science, general way of life, and even their rituals. However, recent technological advances will change all that and finally give us the answers to many of the mysteries left by the Mayans.
LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology is here to reveal what lies beneath Guatemala’s dense forests by using GPS data, satellite imagery and laser scanning of specific areas. Now it’s possible to learn more about the Mayans without randomly digging or destroying a jungle or forest!
Since 2018, at least 60,000 new Mayan structures have been discovered in the Guatemalan jungle using LiDAR scans. It’s as if the jungle has suddenly spilled all the Mayan tea and revealed all of its well-kept, long-hidden secrets.
These newly discovered structures reveal more about the Mayans, showing that their empire was larger and more complex than previously known. We now see the full extent of the Mayan civilization. It even hints at a possible cause of the sudden extinction. Will more Mayan mysteries be unraveled over time? Only time – and hopefully new technology – will tell!
Directed by: Jeremy Zipple
