Ancient Mayan Superhighways Found in the Guatemala Jungle
Jan 27, 2017 12:42 PM ET
Ancient Mayan Superhighways Found in the Guatemala Jungle
The network of roads dates as far back as 600 B.C., and is regarded as the foundation of the first state-level society in the Western Hemisphere.
BY ROSSELLA LORENZI
An ancient network of roads that stretched over 150 miles has been discovered in the jungle of Guatemala, according to high-tech scanning carried out in the area.
Used by the Maya for travel and transporting goods, the causeways were identified in the Mirador Basin, which lies in the far northern Petén region of Guatemala, within the largest tract of virgin tropical forest remaining in Central America.
Also known as the Kan Kingdom, El Mirador is considered the cradle of Mayan civilization. Prior to its abandonment in 150 A.D., it was the largest city-state in the world both in size — 833 square miles — and population. It boasted the largest known pyramid in Central America, and was home to at least one million people.
Researchers have known about the presence of these roads since 1967, when British Mayanist Ian Graham published a map of Mirador showing causeways crossing the swamp regions. Now laser-based remote sensing has been used to map the area, providing new insights into the massive system of superhighways.
More:
http://www.seeker.com/ancient-mayan-superhighways-found-in-the-guatemala-jungle-2219303581.html
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Researchers Use #LIDAR #3D Scanning in Mirador Basin, #Guatemala, Discover Ancient Highway Network
An illustration showing what El Mirador may have once looked like.[/center]
Please take a moment to scan thumbnails of this area in google images:
https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&hl=en&authuser=0&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1432&bih=652&q=Mirador+Basin+highways&oq=Mirador+Basin+highways&gs_l=img.3...539.5564.0.5867.11.2.0.9.9.0.115.115.0j1.1.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.2.118.0..0j0i24k1.qaykWR0dqeM#imgrc=_
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