Archaeologists recently discovered a vast network of 417 ancient Mayan cities in a remote jungle in Guatemala. They believe that these cities, interconnected by miles of highways, are nearly 3,000 years old. As expected, this incredible discovery has prompted historians to rethink about the ancient Mayan Civilisation.

According to an article published by members of a joint US-Guatemalan archaeological study, settlements in Central America were more developed than previously thought, as researchers discovered the network of highways, cities, hydraulic systems and agricultural infrastructure, in a rare first.

Earlier, archaeologists had claimed that the Mayans were nomadic hunter-gatherers, who used to live in the Pre-Classic Era, dating back to 1,000 BC, when the Lost World first appeared. As the new discovery has revealed that the Mayan cities were connected by roadways, archaeologists have described it as “the first highway system in the world”. They are of the opinion that the Mayans were modern enough to build well-planned cities.

In the past, researchers failed to discover the world’s first roadway network, because they are covered by the thick jungles of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. Initial findings show that the Mayans built the majority of the recently discovered structures hundreds of years before the largest Mayan city-states appeared. It means they made significant advancement in mathematics, as well as writing.

Since 2015, researchers have been trying to map the regions of Central America with the help of LIDAR technology, a crucial archaeological laser mapping technique, which can show the smallest features, such as old vegetation. The LIDAR technology has allowed researchers to view ancient dams, reservoirs, pyramids, platforms, causeway networks, and even ball courts.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das