San Lorenzo
These lidar images show San Lorenzo (left), an Olmec site that peaked between 1400 B.C. and 1150 B.C.), and Aguada Fénix (right), a Maya site primarily occupied between 1000 B.C. and 800 B.C. Both show a similar pattern of 20 rectangular platforms lining the plaza. In later Maya calendars, 20 was the base unit for counting days, suggesting that this timekeeping system was already in development before 1000 B.C.
Digging up Aguada Fenix
Archaeologist Melina García excavates in the central part of Aguada Fénix. The similarities of this site with the Olmec center of San Lorenzo hints that the Maya and Olmec were interacting intensively 3,000 years ago. They were certainly developing sophisticated building techniques; the site not only includes a large human-made plateau, it's surrounded by human-made reservoirs and a series of causeways and ramps.
Aligning with the sunrise
Using a remote-sensing technique called lidar to strip away vegetation and visualize topography, University of Arizona archaeologist Takeshi Inomata and his colleagues discovered hundreds of new ancient Olmec and Maya sites in southern Mexico and western Guatemala. This aerial view of Buenavista, a Maya site dating back to about A.D. 300 that had previously been discovered, shows the alignment common to many of these sites: They are laid out to catch the sunrise on certain important days.
Aguada Fenix from above
Aguada Fénix is about 0.9 miles (1.4 kilometers) long. It was likely a ceremonial gathering site from the Maya, who are thought to have lived in non-hierarchical, mobile societies at the time they built Aguada Fénix. This is in contrast with the nearby Olmec people, who had a strong social hierarchy and were probably ruled by kings. Nevertheless, both groups seem to have constructed similar population centers around 1000 B.C.
Excavations at Aguada Fenix
Anthropologists Daniela Triadan (left) and Verónica Vázquez (right) excavate at Aguada Fénix. Researchers discovered the site on a cattle ranch in the Mexican state of Tabasco in 2017. An airplane-based lidar survey revealed a platform between 33 and 50 feet (10 to 15 meters) high stretching nearly a mile from north to south.
A hidden past
Researchers hope that excavations at Aguada Fénix and the other newly discovered sites around southern Mexico and western Guatemala will answer questions about the development of civilization in Central America: Did ancient people build complex ceremonial centers without kings or other rulers? Did the Olmec influence the development of Maya culture, or did the Maya largely go it alone?
