Lost Mayan city of Okomtun found in the jungles of Mexico

Research group discovered on the territory of the ecological reserve Balamku (Mexico) the lost city of the Maya. Scientists named it Okomtun, which means “stone column” in the language of the indigenous people of Yucatan.

It was found using LiDAR (a kind of laser radar that measures distance by emitting light and timing its return to the receiver). The system identified numerous remains of monumental buildings among the uninhabited jungle, including several pyramidal structures up to 15 meters high. As it turned out, according to a number of its characteristics, the city differs from the Mayan settlements known to science.

In the southeast of Okomtun, there are three squares surrounded by high-rise buildings. Passages to the upper tiers are decorated with cylindrical columns. Between the main "streets" is a complex of various low and elongated structures that diverge in different directions in the form of concentric circles. There are even separate areas for rituals and ball games.

In addition, two more built-up sites were found near the city - Nadskaan (36 kilometers away) and Chaktun (50 kilometers away). Therefore, scientists are confident that it served as an important center, probably during the Classic Maya period (250-1000 BC). AD). At the same time, most of the found ceramics and other artifacts belong to the late classical period (600-800 BC). AD).

It is tentatively established that the city has been abandoned since about 1000 AD. Archaeologists have found various evidence that the inhabitants left it in a hurry. But they have not yet found out the reason for their flight.