Nearly 3000 years old city discovered in the jungle of Guatemalas (2024)
A Czech-Slovak archaeological team has discovered an almost 3,000-year-old Mayan city in northern Guatemala, a press release by the Neuron Foundation, which financially supported the expedition, revealed on Tuesday.
Named Yax Balam, meaning First Jaguar, this city has emerged as a pivotal discovery shedding light on a previously unknown Maya settlement, or rather, a series of urban centers.
This newfound urban center, nestled within the dense jungle, is believed to be the oldest in the region and concurrently the largest yet undiscovered settlement in the northeastern Petén region. Its discovery will enable researchers to explore crucial phases of Maya history.
The excavation in Guatemala yielded a treasure trove of artifacts, including palaces, statues, ritual remnants, and astronomical observatories of immense scientific significance.
Professor Milan Kováč explains, “The city is one of the first Mayan city-states, as indicated by ‘Yax,’ meaning the beginning. Regarding the jaguar, the city’s central location was guarded by a live jaguar during our exploration, posing challenges in maintaining a safe distance.”
In Mayan culture, the jaguar symbolizes power, is linked to the underworld, and plays a pivotal role in their mythology. Initial fieldwork indicates that Yax Balam thrived primarily during the Middle and Late Preclassic period, from 850 BC to 150 AD, serving as the region’s hub for about a millennium.
Currently, experts, including those from the Czech Technical University, are analyzing the findings. Their objective is to recreate 3D models of the city and present them visually to the public.”Our goal is to bring the life of one of the world’s oldest civilizations closer to the public through 3D animation,” said Šilhán.
Using high-tech for detailed research The team used advanced technologies, such as AI, neural networks, and LiDAR (a laser technology), to map the city, and locate important structures and artifacts.
LiDAR can penetrate below the surface and reveal buildings, palaces, and urban areas. The neural networks then searched for objects of interest using specific algorithms. The excavations and archaeological research confirmed the findings, and now the experts are working on reconstructing the life of the Mayan civilization.
Nearly 3000 years old city discovered in the jungle of Guatemala
SOY 502, by Selene Mejía, Jan., 10, 2024
Translated from Spanish
The existence of the city of Yax Balam (The first jaguar), which for millennia was hidden in the jungle of Petén and was recently found by a Czech-Slovakian archaeological expedition, was recently revealed.
The locality is almost 3,000 years old and has palaces, statues and astronomical observatories, among other buildings; it also consisted of seven districts. The area was scanned with LiDAR technology, which allowed the discovery of the important architectural structures.
The expedition was led by Czech explorer Ladislav Šilhán and Professor Milan Kováč of Comenius University in Bratislava, and supported by the Neuron Foundation. Sara Polak, a specialist in studying history with AI, made an important contribution by bringing the city to life.
The 3D models of what the town looked like were shared by the Neuron Foundation, causing a sensation. It highlights the red color and beautiful palaces strategically located on a large hill. Around it were found two smaller cities that, at the moment, are being studied. The richness of the place can give valuable information about the less known periods of the Mayan civilization, that is why it is considered a very important finding.
"To give you an idea, the city has seven neighborhoods that are not small at all. Just counting the squares, without satellites, there are seven square kilometers. There are astronomical observatories, palaces, surely pyramids... the variety of buildings and their functions is absolutely incredible, which is useful to study how this civilization arose and its birth. This can help us to get to know the Mayan culture from a completely new perspective," said Sara Polak.
Why Yax Balam?
The team named it "First Jaguar" because of its antiquity. "It is a city from the dawn of this civilization. In Mayan mythology, the jaguar is a sacred animal, an animal that roams the jungle and also a deity of the underworld," Ladislav Šilhan told Radio Prague.
Through a press release the Uaxactun Regional Archaeological Project gave information about this research, stating that they have been working in the area for several years.
"The 3D photos and videos shown correspond to the data already published in the final report of the 2021 Field Season Archaeology Symposium, the cuelas also appear without the corresponding credits. "The new site" mentioned was reported in 2015, as were the LiDAR data, which have long been in the public domain. The photo in the headline of the news item is of the El Ramoral site, excavated in 2021, 3D reconstruction by Mr. Ladislav Silhán who is listed as director, another misinformation. He is a volunteer from Czech Republic, who is dedicated to make 3D Models of several sites, the only director for 16 years has been Milan Kovác, from the University of Comenius, no data that has been published is new or exclusive", they state.
"We are making inquiries about the case with the Neuron Foundation and the Czech media. In Paru we know that any new data must be published first in Guatemala and that all information is previously reviewed before going public. Paru is not a project that uses sensationalist publications and terms that we consider inadequate, everything that the project has produced so far has always been published first to the corresponding authorities and then in the Guatemalan Archaeological Symposium, only later, on occasions, obviously the information is shared with the media in the case that it merits it", it reads.
