Archaeologists discover a city of ancient Maya civilization hidden in the jungle for over 1000 years and named it 'Okomtun (stone pillar)'



An ancient city buried in the jungle, believed to be from the Mayan civilization, has been discovered in the Balamuk Ecological Reserve on

the Yucatan Peninsula . The research team named the city 'Ocomtún', which means stone pillar in Maya and Yucateco, after the numerous cylindrical stone pillars scattered in the ruins.

Descubren antigua ciudad maya en Campeche; la nombran Ocomtún, “columna de piedra”
https://www.inah.gob.mx/boletines/descubren-antigua-ciudad-maya-campeche-la-nombran-ocomtun-columna-de-piedra



This Ancient Maya City Was Hidden in the Jungle for More Than 1,000 Years | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-maya-city-was-hidden-in-the-jungle-for-over-1000-years-180982427/



Ancient Mayan city, Ocomtun, found hidden in Calakmul jungle

https://yucatanmagazine.com/ancient-mayan-city-ocomtun-found-hidden-in-calakmul-jungle/

From May to mid-June 2023, a research team at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico conducted a survey of the Yucatan Peninsula in cooperation with the National Center for Aerial Laser Mapping at the University of Houston, USA. Based on the images obtained by airborne laser scanning, we went to the Balamuk Ecosystem Reserve, which was marked as ``highly likely to contain archaeological traces,'' and explored its surroundings.



As a result, we discovered an unknown archaeological site with several buildings on a hill surrounded by vast wetlands, named Okomutun, and announced the results on June 20.



According to archaeologist Ivan Praj, who led the expedition team, the center of Okomtun contains a pyramid over 15 meters high, three plazas, and a complex of low, elongated structures arranged almost concentrically. It is dotted with ball sports grounds, and it is said that a 10-meter-high rectangular barrier and a 25-meter-class pyramid have been found in the surrounding area.



``This city probably functioned as a regionally important center during the classical period of the Maya civilization (250-1000 AD). 2009, but analyzing more samples will give us more reliable data,' he said.

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