Ancient Mayan highways discovered

A recent survey revealed almost 1K ancient Mayan settlements linked by the world’s first network of highways dating back to almost 300 BC.

Aerial surveys were carried out by a team within Guatemala’s FARES anthropological research foundation, and the findings were first published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica. Per the study, the researchers used LiDAR technology, which emits light pulses from airplanes to the earth and allows researchers to map structures beneath vegetation. Over 100 miles of roadways have been revealed so far, with some measuring around 130 feet wide and elevated off the ground by as much as 16 feet in some sections, according to the researchers.

The area covers 650 square miles across the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin region, near Guatemala’s northern border with Mexico. In addition to reservoirs, canals, and the remains of pyramids, the findings also include 417 previously-unknown cities that were hidden for millennia by jungle vegetation.