A Vast 2,000-Year-Old Mayan ‘Kingdom’ Discovered in Guatemala Challenges Ideas of Mesoamerica

The remains of a vast Mayan “kingdom” were found in Northern Guatemala, raising questions over the daily lives and demise of its inhabitants 2,000 years ago, according to a report published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica earlier this month.

The ancient metropolis contained more than 1,000 settlements densely packed together over 650 square miles — challenging the theory that most Mesoamerican settlements were sparsely populated. The site was discovered by an international team of researchers from the United States and France, who published their findings in the journal.

A Vast 2,000-Year-Old Mayan ‘Kingdom’ Discovered in Guatemala Challenges Ideas of Mesoamerica