Ruins of Lost Maya City Discovered Hidden Deep in Rainforest of Mexico

Deep within the rainforest Mexico, the remains of an ancient Maya city lie broken and forgotten. The crumbling stone is overgrown with plants and vines as the forest slowly reclaims the stone. Now, archaeologists have uncovered this city, which remained undisturbed for centuries and which could reveal how the Maya civilization collapsed about 1,000 years ago.

The ruins were actually found in Campeche, a province in the western Yucatan peninsula, according to LiveScience. Dotted with Maya complexes and artifacts, this region is known for its wealth of archaeological material. The newest site, though, is named Chactún, and stretches over 54 acres.

"It is one of the largest sites in the Central Lowlands, comparable in its extent and magnitude of its buildings with Becan, Nadzcaan and El Palmar in Campeche," said archaeologist Ivan Sprajc of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History in a statement.

The city consists of pyramids, ball courts, plazas and other structures that are characteristic of Maya civilizations. In fact, as many as 40,000 people may have lived in the ancient city at one time, according to Reuters.

So how did such a massive complex remain unnoticed for so long? The forest reserve where the city is found has remained largely unexplored. Due to the fact that many of the ruins have been reclaimed by the rainforest, it was difficult to actually spot the location amidst the thick undergrowth. In fact, the researchers only spotted the lost city in aerial images of the vast forest. According to Sprajc, the area had been considered a "total blank" in the map of Maya sites.

"With aerial photographs examined stereoscopically, we found many features that were obviously architectural remains," said Sprajc in a release from INAH, according to LiveScience. "From there we took coordinates and the next step was to locate the ancient alleys used by tappers and loggers to reach the area."

The archaeologists hope that this new site will lead to further insight into the other Maya ruins nearby. It could allow them to get a clearer picture of the history of the area--and could lead to future discoveries.