60,000 ancient structures discovered under the forest canopy
Using laser technology, scientists have discovered more than 60,000 ancient structures of the Mayan civilization hidden under the dense forest canopy in Guatemala. This discovery gives scientists a new perspective on the Mayan culture.
Digital map of a Mayan city hidden under a dense jungle canopy.
Among the structures recently discovered are houses, temples, palaces and a pyramid about 30m high - which was previously mistaken for a hill.These structures are scattered in different cities.
Laser imaging also revealed a widespread system of irrigation canals, quarries, defensive forts and a network of roads connecting settlements.
This discovery shows a very high level of development and "urbanization" of the Mayan civilization that scientists previously could not imagine.
With the recent discoveries, scientists estimate that in the lower Maya region - an area that includes present-day Guatemala and Mexico - there were about 10 million people, many times more than previous studies.
"In a given area, there are more buildings, houses, canals... than expected," Marcello Canuto, one of the study's co-directors from Tulane University in New Orleans, told CNN.
With the laser imaging technology, within the next three years Canuto and his colleagues hope to be able to digitally map the entire Maya Reserve, which covers more than 8,341 square miles in the Peten region of Guatemala.
