Maya City Remains Found In Mexican Jungle
Archaeologists have recently discovered the remains of a new ancient Maya city, deep in the jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula, southeast Mexico.
Several pyramid-like structures, which measure over 50ft in height, have been unearthed, with pottery discovered indicating it was inhabited between 600 and 800 AD, a period known as Late Classic.
The site, subsequently named Ocomtún (Mayan for stone column), was discovered in an ecological reserve in the state of Campeche . This area is very densely covered with vegetation, which means it has had very little exploration previously.
The Maya are known to have been one of the great civilisations of the West, and are renowned for pyramid temples and stone buildings. The Central Maya Lowlands is an area spanning 3,000 sq km of uninhabited jungle.
According to archeologists, Ocomtún would have served as an important regional centre and the cylindrical stone columns found were probably entrances to rooms in the upper parts of the buildings. The site probably underwent considerable changes between 800 and 1000 AD, before the collapse of the Lowland Maya civilisation in the 10th Century.
