Archaeologists Stunned to Discover an Untouched Mayan Ancient City Dating Back Nearly 3,000 Years

For decades, the dense jungles of northern Guatemala have kept secrets buried beneath their thick green canopy. Time and again, archaeologists have peeled back layers of earth and vegetation to uncover remnants of the ancient Maya. But experts admit that nothing could have prepared them for what they just stumbled upon. In a revelation that has electrified the archaeological world, experts have uncovered an untouched Mayan city believed to be almost 3,000 years old, as per Indy100.

Hidden in the Petén jungle near the Mexican border, the site named Los Abuelos (“The Grandparents”) is considered one of the most ancient and prominent ceremonial centers ever discovered from the Middle Preclassic period, dating between 800 and 500 BCE. The ministry noted, “The site presents remarkable architectural planning…sculpted with unique iconography from the region,” as per Indy100. Discovered by Guatemalan and Slovak archaeologists through the Uaxactún Regional Archaeological Project (PARU), the city lies just 21 kilometers from Uaxactún, a major known archaeological zone.

Los Abuelos spans a massive 16 square kilometers (around six square miles) and features a variety of ceremonial structures, including pyramids, shrines, and monuments bearing unique iconography that had never been seen before. The ministry noted, “The set of these three sites forms a previously unknown urban triangle … These findings allow us to rethink the understanding of the ceremonial and sociopolitical organization of pre-Hispanic Petén,” as per The Guardian. These figures, dated between 500 and 300 BCE, are thought to be linked to early forms of ancestor worship, a sacred ritual practice in ancient Mayan culture.

Among the architectural marvels is a 33-meter (108-foot) high pyramid located east of Los Abuelos in a nearby site called Petnal. The ministry noted, “Located here is one of the most important ritual centers in the region, with notable sanctuaries, helping to reassess our understanding of Mayan history,” as per CNN. At the peak, archaeologists found two preserved rooms filled with Preclassic murals that offer new clues about early Mayan religious practices and sociopolitical systems. Not far from Petnal, in another site called Cambrayal, experts made a stunning find, a complex canal system integrated within a palace structure.

The ministry added, “These sites form a previously unknown urban triangle whose existence we were unaware of until now… These new archeological discoveries constitute a testament of Mayan culture’s greatness, which today we are making known to the whole world,” as per CNN. Together,  Los Abuelos, Petnal, and Cambrayal form a “previously unknown urban triangle,” molding scholarly understanding of pre-Hispanic settlement patterns. These findings follow a wave of recent discoveries in the region, including over 400 interconnected settlements in the El Mirador jungle, now dubbed the world’s “first freeway system” by researchers. With every artifact uncovered, Los Abuelos is whispering stories lost to time — stories that archaeologists are only just beginning to hear.