A living proof of the ancient Mayan civilization

Scientists have uncovered evidence of a sophisticated civilization led by the ancient Mayans living north of the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. It is the first evidence of terraced fields in the Puuc region.

Ancient Mayan civilization simulated on a 3D model. The laser survey showed that in a mountainous region north of Yucatán, called Puuc, the Mayans built remarkable structures, including artificial reservoirs, more than 1,200 stoves, several fields. ladder to cultivate … Research lead William Ringle, professor emeritus of anthropology at Davidson University in North Carolina, USA said: “It looks like this is a very prosperous area because we have all the stone houses. build. ” Furthermore, the Mayans of Puuc built four major towns dating from the Middle Ages (700 BC to 450 BC) and population centers dating from 600 to 750 AD, during the Late Antiquity period. dictionary. While these structures were recorded, laser data analysis revealed that these Puuc communities had distinct city layouts that were not seen in other Maya regions. Researchers have known of the ancient Mayan settlements of Puuc since the 1840s, but there has never been a comprehensive survey of the area so far. By calculating with laser light, a software can create a detailed 3D topographic map of ancient Mayan civilization. Researchers spent about 20 years doing basic research in the Puuc region. Analysis of the lidar maps, which encompass about 237 square kilometers, revealed 7,900 housing quarters, including on the hills, indicating that the Puuc area with a large population was concentrated mainly on the Different communities, with a few in the hinterland of Puuc. Many of these residential structures still have stone veins marking different rooms – each house has about 2-3 rooms. These details suggest that Puuc may be one of the most densely populated areas in the Maya Lowlands, an area that includes parts of modern-day Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Despite the densely populated, it seems that the people in Puuc mainly live in peace; the communities are quite close together – usually between 5 and 10 km, but there is no evidence of any defensive structure. “There are images of warriors on some of the sculptures, but it’s not to the point where people stop themselves from the neighbors,” the researchers said. Water reservoirs A densely populated area needs a lot of water, but Puuc, like the rest of Yucatan, is mostly on limestone, a porous rock. Since there was no water or river or lake, people had to find other ways to get it. Puuc is located on a hilly and raised area, making it above groundwater level. To solve this problem, the Mayans built “chultunes”, or tanks, that were lined with mortar to collect rainwater. The Mayans also built “aguadas”, or reservoirs, with long drainage channels. Lidar’s survey revealed that some of these channels were several hundred meters long. Terraces The lidar survey also revealed evidence of an intensive and widespread rock-producing industry, consisting of quarries and 1,232 circular stoves, potentially used to sinter sandstone so that produce lime, or calcium oxide. This lime is probably used as a construction mortar and to help soften corn. “When people down there cook corn, they usually soak it in lime the night before to soften it a bit, and then they will grind it,” says Ringle. Therefore, lime is an essential commodity, even at the household level. ” The number of stoves was a surprising revelation, Ringle added. They are everywhere. And that shows that it’s a sizable industry in Puuc. Other research has shown that these stoves can be operated using very little firewood. “It tells us that people probably had the raw materials pretty close at hand, even though they didn’t burn the entire forest,” Ringle said. The lidar image also showed the first clear evidence of the ladder at Puuc, actually all north of Yucatan. Although the area has hundreds of hills, only 8 hills are terraced fields for cultivation. This shows that this practice is not popular in Puuc. The ancient Maya civilization existed for more than 2,500 years, before the people mysteriously abandoned their city. There are many theories that explain why this happens. Stories are told that the Mayans mismanaged their landscape and this led to their own destruction. This new study is contrary evidence. The study was published online April 28 in the journal PLOS One.