Lidar revealed an intact Maya city called Minanbé ("there is no road") in Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, dating to ~1,100 years ago. The ~15-hectare settlement features a 13m pyramid in Rio Bec style, plazas, ceremonial structures, and water management. Researchers documented 14 monuments, including a decapitation scene dated to 849 CE—and remarkably, no signs of looting.
Untouched Maya city discovered using lidar in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Key facts
- Untouched Maya city named Manon Ba ('there is no path' in Yucatec Maya) discovered in a remote section of Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, dating to roughly 1,100 years ago
- Airborne lidar revealed a settlement covering approximately 15 hectares, with subsequent fieldwork confirming plazas, ceremonial structures, palatial buildings, terraces, and an extensive water management system
- A pyramid-shaped temple over 13 m tall exhibits the Rio Bec architectural style, with finely crafted masonry, decorative facade panels, steep staircases, and upper moldings
- 14 monuments including stelae, altars, and hieroglyphic inscriptions were documented and analyzed using photogrammetry and epigraphy
- One inscription depicting a decapitation scene dates to 849 CE in the Terminal Classic Period; another may date to the late 7th century CE, potentially making it the oldest dated monument in the surrounding area
- Site was found intact with no signs of looting
Sources
nature.com
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