New Delhi: Researchers have always been fascinated regarding the hidden truth behind the ancient Maya civilization while a recent finding seems to be giving a new course of direction.
In the latest study, scientists have used aerial remote-sensing method or lidar survey to discover the largest and oldest-known structure built by the Maya civilization.
The study found colossal rectangular elevated plateau built between 1,000 and 800 BC in Mexico’s Tabasco state that measures 1,400 metres in length and 10 to 15 metres in height. It has 9 causeways radiating out from it and a series of reservoirs were linked to the structure, the study found.
In total volume, it exceeded ancient Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza built 1,500 years earlier, with the researchers saying that as per their knowledge, this is the oldest monumental construction ever found in the Maya area. This is also the largest in the entire pre-Hispanic history of the region, the study found.
Lidar, short for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote-sensing technique that employs a pulsed laser and other data obtained flying over a site to generate three-dimensional information about the shape of surface characteristics, as explained by Reuters.
The site is located at Aguada Fenix near the Guatemalan border. Some parts of the rural Aguada Fenix site today are covered with cattle ranches. Other parts are wooded.
