Slovenian archaeologist Ivan Sprock has discovered 80 Maya settlements in Mexico'sCampeche over 30 years, including the massive city Okumun in 2023. This region was the last Maya resistance area against Spanish conquest, explaining why it remained unexplored for centuries. 🔍
Archaeologist Ivan Sprock Finds 80 Maya Settlements in Unexplored Region
MexicoExcavation
Key facts
- Slovenian archaeologist Ivan Sprock has been working in the region for 30 years
- In 2023, Sprock discovered Okumun, a huge city with tens of thousands of people
- In 2014 and 2013, he found three other major cities
- Over his career, he has discovered 80 Maya settlements in the area
- The region remained unexplored because it was the last Maya resistance area against Spanish conquest
- The Spanish avoided the area due to enemy forces
- Calakmul, the largest Classic Maya city, wasn't identified until the 1970s
- A road wasn't cut to Calakmul until the 1980s-90s
- The Guatemala side (northwest Petén) contains many undiscovered Maya cities
- LiDAR is now being used to map the extent of discovered sites
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