Uncovering Hidden Maya Cities
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Questions and Answers

What technology has been used to uncover hidden Maya cities in Guatemala?

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning

What is the approximate area of the Maya Biosphere Reserve that has been mapped?

Over 800 square miles

In which year was the lost city of Kiwi discovered?

2000

What was discovered under the pyramid in Kiwi, dating back to 500 AD?

<p>A foundation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is unique about the ancient Maya paintings discovered in a cave?

<p>A three-dimensional jaguar and a mythical hunt with ghost-like figures</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the discovery of the paintings and other evidence suggest about the northern Maya society?

<p>It was a previously unknown Maya mega society that was just as old and powerful as the one in the south</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the pyramid built on top of a palace in Kiwi?

<p>To legitimize the king's power by connecting with his ancestors</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was discovered in the hills outside Kiwi, dubbed 'Stairway to Heaven'?

<p>A sprawling hilltop estate with a massive staircase, including a 9-room mansion and 22 large stone buildings</p> Signup and view all the answers

What system did the Maya develop to collect and manage rainwater in the Pook region?

<p>A network of underground cisterns, called chiltoons</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the existence of a middle class in ancient America challenge our understanding of?

<p>The Maya world</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Laser Technology Uncovers Hidden Maya Cities

  • Lasers in the sky are helping to expose secrets of the ancient Maya world, allowing archaeologists to unearth treasures on the ground
  • 2018 was an exciting year for the Maya, with thousands of new ruins discovered across Guatemala using satellites and LiDAR technology
  • LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning lets us see through the forest canopy to what lies below

The Maya Biosphere Reserve

  • Over 800 square miles of the reserve have been mapped, revealing massive feats of engineering
  • Man-made structures, complex roads, temples, and palaces have been discovered, showcasing a far more sprawling and sophisticated society than previously thought

The Lost City of Kiwi

  • Discovered in 2000, Kiwi is a forgotten Maya town in Mexico's Yucatan region
  • Archaeologist George Bay's team found a vault stone, typically used to hold up ceilings, deep in a pyramid
  • The team discovered a foundation under the pyramid dating back to 500 AD, 300 years older than the pyramid itself

Ancient Maya Paintings

  • In a cave, archaeologists discovered ancient Maya paintings, including a unique three-dimensional jaguar and a mythical hunt with ghost-like figures
  • The paintings date back to around 100 BC, making them among the oldest Maya paintings ever discovered in Mexico
  • The style of the paintings is unlike anything seen before, suggesting that whoever painted them was not part of the Maya civilization from the south

The Northern Maya Mega Society

  • The discovery of the paintings and other evidence suggests that there was a previously unknown Maya mega society in the north
  • This society was just as old and powerful as the one in the south
  • The existence of this society raises questions about who these lost Maya were and why they were forgotten

The Palace and the Pyramid

  • Excavation of a royal palace in Kiwi revealed a pyramid built on top of a palace
  • The pyramid was built by a king who wanted to legitimize his power by connecting with his ancestors
  • The palace may be most remarkable for its age, suggesting that the northern Maya society was just as old and powerful as the one in the south

The Discovery of Stairway to Heaven

  • In the hills outside Kiwi, archaeologists discovered a sprawling hilltop estate with a massive staircase, dubbed "Stairway to Heaven"
  • The estate includes a 9-room mansion and 22 large stone buildings
  • Under the floor of one of the buildings, a dedicatory offering was found, including a ceramic bowl and plate, accompanied by human bones

The Wealthy Northern Maya

  • The discovery of Stairway to Heaven suggests that the northern Maya society was wealthy and prosperous
  • The people who lived at Stairway were likely major plantation owners, operating extensive farms in the valley below
  • The existence of a middle class in ancient America challenges our understanding of the Maya world

Water Management

  • In the Pook region, water is scarce, but the Maya developed an ingenious system to collect and manage rainwater

  • Archaeologists discovered a network of underground cisterns, called chiltoons, which could hold up to 10,000 gallons of water

  • The entire hilltop functioned as a giant rain barrel, providing a reliable source of water for the community### The Maya Civilization in 800 A.D.

  • The landscape of the Maya civilization in 800 A.D. consisted of towns, villages, and cities, with smoke rising from thousands of cooking fires.

  • Men returned from their fields, while women prepared evening meals.

  • The city of Uzma rose to become the powerful political capital of the region, with local kings like the King of Kiwi traveling to conduct diplomacy and pay tribute to Uzma's royalty.

The Cult of Quetzalcoatl

  • In the 800s, a peculiar modification was added to the facades of buildings, featuring a feathered serpent symbol.
  • The feathered serpent symbol represents a powerful religious cult, known as Quetzalcoatl, which was a political ideology with religious overtones.
  • To gain admittance into the cult, local kings had to submit to a rigorous initiation, involving rituals of self-mortification, bloodletting ceremonies, and piercings.
  • Artwork from the time depicts rituals involving bloodletting and piercings, as well as the journey of an initiate being transformed by the cult.

The Rise of the Cult and Political Tensions

  • The cult swept through the north in the 800s, as local kings bought into the new ideology.
  • Political tensions rose as a result, fostering competition between those who adhered to the new ideology and those who remained true to the traditional Maya ideology.

The Boom Times and Sudden Halt in Construction

  • The city of Key Week was in full bloom, with architects employed, and the king feeling confident and powerful.
  • However, signs of a sudden halt in construction were found, including a staircase built by workers and a scaffold system, indicating that construction was ongoing but not finished.
  • The second story walls of a building were laid out on the ground but never erected, suggesting that construction stopped abruptly.

The Abandonment of Key Week

  • The team found clues that the city was suddenly abandoned, with no signs of war or violence.
  • At the hilltop estate, called Stairway to Heaven, the team found evidence of an orderly departure, with pots carefully hung on wall pegs and set to the sides of rooms.
  • The evidence suggests that the people took time to tidy up before leaving, but the abandonment was due to a severe drought that lasted for three to twenty years.

The Impact of Droughts

  • The droughts would have overwhelmed the city's water storage, making it impossible to live there.
  • The elite families would have had to make a difficult decision to leave, loading what they could onto their backs and storing the rest.
  • The Maya were a civilization designed to respond to managing rainwater and lack of rainwater, but the extreme intensity of these droughts was disastrous.

The Collapse of the Northern Maya

  • The collapse of the northern Maya apparently began during the 9th century, around the time the feathered serpent ideology was introduced.
  • The political situation may have become so extreme that there was no longer a governmental system capable of organizing their return.
  • The extreme intensity of the droughts, combined with the political instability, led to the collapse of the northern Maya cities and towns.

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Explore the secrets of the ancient Maya world, from laser technology uncovering new ruins to the discovery of forgotten cities and sophisticated societies. Learn about the LiDAR technology, the Maya Biosphere Reserve, and the lost city of Kiwi.

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