A sprawling, long-lost Mayan city hidden in the dense jungle of southern Campeche has come to light, reshaping our understanding of Mayan civilization’s urban reach. Dubbed “Valeriana” by archaeologists, this once-bustling metropolis reveals an intricately designed network of architectural and agricultural features that paint a vivid picture of advanced Mayan urbanization.
The chance discovery of Valeriana, which boasts a densely packed settlement of 6,764 structures across roughly 122 square kilometers, was made possible by cutting-edge Lidar technology. Originally collected in 2013 as part of the Alianza project—a forest monitoring initiative by the Nature Conservancy aiming to mitigate deforestation—these data provided an unforeseen archaeological breakthrough.
“This discovery of Valeriana not only exemplifies the advanced nature of Maya urban planning but also hints at the unexplored potential of the Maya Lowlands for similar finds,” researchers explained in a study published by Cambridge University Press. They emphasize that much of the Maya region remains unmapped and, potentially, rich with more undiscovered cities.
The next steps for researchers involve in-depth quantitative analyses of Valeriana’s features and extensive on-ground surveys to corroborate the remote findings. This discovery acts as a beacon for future investigations into Mayan settlement patterns, promising further revelations about the ancient civilization that once dominated large swathes of Mesoamerica between 250 and 900 AD, encompassing parts of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
As experts dig deeper into Valeriana’s mysteries, the site stands as a powerful reminder that the Mayan civilization may have been even more sophisticated and widespread than history has yet revealed.
