Slovenian researcher leads discovery of ancient Maya city

The jungle of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in southern Mexico is considered a treasure trove for archaeologists, with many ancient Maya structures hidden beneath a dense canopy.

A Slovenian-led archaeological team has now discovered a previously unknown Maya city there that features a pyramid temple over thirteen metres high, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The team of Slovenian and Mexican archaeologists has been led by Ivan Šprajc, a Slovenian Maya specialist affiliated with the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). He has been leading archaeological research in the Yucatan Peninsula for several decades, and has a number of major discoveries to his name.

This time around he was at the helm of uncovering a major urban centre that had remained hidden for more than a millennium, ZRC SAZU said.

No signs of looting in difficult-to-access city

Named Minanbe by researchers, the city spans 15 hectares and contains plazas surrounded by palaces and temples, a 13-metre pyramid, agricultural terraces and a water-management system.

Among the most notable structures, the pyramid displays characteristics of the Rio Bec architectural style, known for finely cut stone masonry, elaborate facades and prominent stairways.

The site dates back to the Late Classic period (600-900 AD), and remarkably, it has remained intact and showed no signs of looting.

It has been protected from looters because of the difficulty of access. After airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) technology revealed hidden structures, another lost Maya city, the archaeologists had to cut a 5-kilometre path through the dense vegetation before reaching the site by all-terrain vehicles and on foot. The name they gave the city reflects this effort, meaning "no path" in Yucatec Maya.

"Minanbe truly lies in the middle of exceptionally dense jungle," Šprajc told the Slovenian Press Agency. "This is a protected biosphere reserve and national park. We often stumble upon old forest tracks or dirt roads, but this time there were none. We had to carve out the route ourselves."

The project was approved by the Archaeology Council of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which oversees archaeological research and fieldwork in the country.

First known Maya site to be uncovered in this area

The discovery is particularly significant because it is the first known Maya site to be identified in this part of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Archaeologists also uncovered 14 Maya monuments - stelae and altars arranged along a causeway linking different sections of the city. Several monuments bear hieroglyphic inscriptions and iconographic scenes, suggesting Minanbe served as an important political and religious centre, INAH said.

One stela, designated Stela 1, depicts a decapitation scene and carries a calendar inscription corresponding to the year 849 AD, providing a key clue for dating when the city was abandoned.

Other monuments portray Maya rulers wearing elaborate feathered headdresses and jewellery. The researchers said one hieroglyphic inscription likely dates back to the end of the 7th century AD and could represent the oldest known written record from the area.

Some altars and stelae appear to have been deliberately damaged or moved after the city's decline, a finding that may point to political or ideological changes that followed the collapse of the settlement, according to INAH.

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