Nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan city unearthed. Why it's named 'The Grandparents'
An international team of archaeologists has announced the discovery of a nearly 3,000-year-old ancient Mayan city in a northeastern region of Guatemala known for its tropical forests and ruins.
The site Los Abuelos, Spanish for “The Grandparents," was a ritual center for the entire region, the country’s culture ministry said in a statement May 29, and home to one of the oldest and most prominent Mayan shrines yet discovered. It takes its name from the discovery of two human-like sculptures found at the site, called an "ancestral couple" by researchers.
The city, along with two other nearby sites, Petnal and Cambrayal, constitute an urban triangle researchers say are key discoveries in the study of the origins of Mayan society in the Petén region of northern Guatemala, which borders Mexico and Belize.
"The discovery of the city called Los Abuelos stands out for its ancient characteristics and its exceptional features of historical value, which contribute significantly to the understanding of the Mayan civilization," the ministry said in the statement.
The Mayans lived in modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, with origins dating back 4,000 years, around 2,000 B.C, with the heart of its empire based in Guatemala's tropical lowlands. Northern Guatemala's Petén Province, where the ruins were found, is a large forest region with thousands of architectural and artistic remains of the Mayan civilization. They date from the Preclassic Period of 600 B.C. to the decline and eventual collapse of the empire's urban centers around 900 A.D., according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.
Archaeologists found Los Abuelos was occupied as early as 800 B.C., Guatemala's culture ministry said, which makes the city more than 2,800 years old. In a palace in the nearby settlement of Cambrayal, archaeologists found what they call a sophisticated system of canals, the statement said, and in Petnal, they found a 108-foot pyramid with murals.
The excavation was funded in part by the Comenius University of Bratislava, Slovakia, under the direction of Dr. Milan Kovác, and aided by an international consortium of researchers and supporters.
The discoveries are part of the wider Uaxactún Archaeological Project, a 17-year effort to expand archaeological research across a 460-square-mile area surrounding the original Uaxactun archaeological site. Los Abuelos is roughly 13 miles northeast of Uaxactún.
Uaxactun is one of the earliest archaeological sites in the Mayan lowlands, according to the World Monuments Fund, and became a foundation for modern Mesoamerican studies when formal research into the site began in 1924. It lies within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Tikal National Park, though it does not get nearly as many visitors as the nearby Tikal site. It was included on the 2014 World Monuments Watch, a list curated by the nonprofit organization to highlight monuments facing urgent challenges and preservation opportunities.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.