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  • WILD BLUE MEDIA/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

    LiDAR reveals Mayan mega city hidden in Guatemalan jungle

    by 
    Mariella Moon
    Mariella Moon
    02.04.2018

    A vast Mayan megalopolis apparently lies hidden underneath all the trees, creepers and centuries of growth and soil in the Guatemalan forest -- and we might never have found it if not for the wonders of laser technology. The PACUNAM Foundation, which champions the use of scientific research to preserve cultural heritage, has scanned the jungles in the country using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology and found an interconnected network of ancient cities. They discovered 60,000 previously unknown structures without having to cut down a single plant, and that discovery changes many things we thought we knew about the ancient civilization.