The ancient city of Los Abuelos (Spanish for “ancestors”) sits deep in the jungle, about 21 kilometers from the archaeological site of Waka in the northern Petén department. The Guatemalan Ministry of Culture announced the discovery.
The city covered roughly 16 square kilometers, making it a true ancient metropolis. Researchers uncovered impressive architecture across the site, the Independent reported. Researchers believe it was likely “one of the oldest and most significant ceremonial centers” of the Maya civilization.
Scholars dated the architectural remains to between 800 and 500 B.C. But the team says some figurines date to 500–300 B.C. Those figurines may be tied to ancient ancestor-worship rituals.
Earlier, archaeologists working near the new city had uncovered two other significant sites. One is a 33-meter-high pyramid at the Petnal site, decorated with preclassic Maya frescoes. The other, the Cambroial site, surprised archaeologists with its advanced hydraulic infrastructure.
Los Abuelos, Petnal, and Cambroial were likely interconnected, forming a “previously unknown urban triangle.” The team said the discovery changes how we think about ceremonial and socio-political organization in pre-Hispanic Petén.
The discovery follows an April find of a 1,000-year-old altar about 23 kilometers from Waka. The altar, painted red, yellow, and blue, is linked to the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. Archaeologists believe the altar indicates a connection between Teotihuacan and the Maya, cultures separated by roughly 1,300 kilometers.
The Maya civilization emerged around 2600 B.C. and thrived for nearly three millennia across Central and parts of South America. Its Classic period peaked between 250 and 900 A.D. The Maya developed sophisticated writing, art, architecture, mathematics, and astronomy. By around 1000 A.D., the civilization had declined; researchers suggest a prolonged drought triggered an agricultural collapse.
