Archaeologists found two ancient Mayan cities Lagunita and Tamchen in Mexico

Archaeologists have found two ancient Mayan cities Lagunita and Tamchen hidden in the jungle of south-eastern Mexico. They discovered the two cities of Lagunita and Tamchen on the Yucatan peninsula by examining aerial photographs of the region.

Ivan Sprajc, Associate Professor at the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the lead researcher with his team found the ancient cities in April 2014.

The two cities reached their heyday in the Late and Terminal Classic periods (600-1000 AD).

At each site, there were a palace-like buildings, pyramids and plazas. One of the pyramids is almost 20 meters (65 feet) high.

There is also a facade featuring a monster-mouth doorway, which probably marked one of the main entrances to the center of the city.

Earlier in 2013, Sprajc had discovered another ancient Mayan city, Chactun which is 10-km north of Lagunita and 6-km northwest of Tamchen.

About Mayan Civilisation

The Mayan Civilisation was an ancient civilisation located in the tropical lowlands of what is now called Guatemala. It was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica that included Modern-day Mexico and Central America and it reached its peak in  the sixth century A.D. In 16th century A.D, it was conquered by Spain.

The earliest Mayan settlements date back to around 1800 B.C and were called the Preclassic or Formative Period. The Classic Period, which began around A.D. 250, was the golden age of the Maya Empire.

One of the many intriguing things about the Mayans was their ability to build a great civilization in a tropical rainforest climate. They were essentially skilled craftsmen who created incredible things including: calenders, pottery, agriculture, mathematics and hieroglyph writing.