Archaeologists in Mexico Discover Mysterious Underground Structure Beneath an Ancient Maya Ball Court
According to Live Science, a multinational research team utilized LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to survey a vast area of the lowlands once inhabited by the Maya in Campeche, Mexico.
They discovered what appeared to be “ghosts” of structures emerging at a site known to be an ancient ball court.
LiDAR image showing the “ghost” of an underground structure – (Photo: Žiga Koka).
The hidden structures were later identified as an undetermined construction, featuring walls covered with plaster and paint. The scale of the structure suggests it was a significant building.
“This discovery clearly indicates a very important structure, as ball courts are typically found at major Maya sites, which were centers of regional political organization,” stated archaeologist Ivan Šprajc from the Institute of Anthropology and Landscape Research in Slovenia, who leads the research team.
According to a statement translated from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, this structure may date back to the Early Classic period (200-600 AD) and is covered with a layer of plaster.
The survey also yielded several other intriguing findings, including multiple ancient Maya settlements.
Additionally, the research team uncovered the ruins of a plaza, a 16-meter-tall pyramid, and a rectangular water reservoir at another location.
At the top of the pyramid, archaeologists found several offerings: ceramics, a ceramic animal limb, and an item resembling a flint knife or spearhead.
Šprajc noted that these offerings date from 1250 to 1524, a period when the Maya Empire was in decline in the region. It may have been a desperate ritual by impoverished people trying to cling to the once-great legacy of their ancestors.
