A team of Archeologists from the University of Arizona has discovered the largest Ancient Mayan Site ever discovered. In the State of Tabasco, Mexico, the Team discovered Aguada Fenix in 2017. However, it is not until this year that they have revealed their findings to the World, after finding its real proportions.
How did they find the monument? The Team used the LiDAR technology, a laser able to measure the distance to the Earth’s surface. Normally, when they use LiDAR in a jungle area, it can point to areas hidden by dense vegetation. In this case, Aguada Fénix was in an urbanized space, so a High-Definition laser was able to uncover that there was a huge building that the human eye wasn’t seeing.
Don’t miss: Rare Aztec Map reveals a Glimpse of Life in 1500s Mexico.
You can find here the scientific article of the study, directed by Daniela Triadan and Takeshi Inomata, published this june 2020.
As part of their analysis, the archaeologists concluded that the site dates from between 1000 to 800 B.C. In consequence, Aguada Fénix is not only the largest Pre-Hispanic site in the region. It also constitutes the oldest Ancient Mayan monument known to date.
