Nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan complex discovered, featuring pyramids and canals

This photo released by the Guatemalan government shows two anthropomorphic sculptures that "represent an ancestral couple." (Guatemalan Ministry of Culture and Sports via CNN Newsource)

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan complex in Guatemala, revealing sanctuaries, pyramids and a unique canal system that could shed further light on the ancient civilization, the country’s culture minister said Thursday.

The complex was discovered across three sites — Los Abuelos, Petnal and Cambrayal — near the significant Mayan site of Uaxactún in the Petén region of northern Guatemala, the ministry said in a statement.

The Mayan civilization arose around 2,000 BC and reached its height between 400 and 900 AD, predominantly in modern-day Mexico and Guatemala. During its height, people built temples, roads, pyramids and other monuments, and developed complex systems of writing, mathematics and astronomy.

Los Abuelos, which means “The Grandparents” in Spanish, lies around 13 miles (21 kilometers) from Uaxactún and gets its name from two human-like rock figures found at the site, believed to represent an “ancestral couple,” the ministry said.

These figures, along with several sacred sanctuaries, suggest it was an important site for Mayan rituals, said Luis Rodrigo Carrillo, Guatemala’s vice minister of culture and sports, in a press briefing announcing the findings.

“Located here is one of the most important ritual centers in the region, with notable sanctuaries, helping to reassess our understanding of Mayan history,” the ministry said in a video announcing the discovery.

East of Los Abuelos lies Petnal, which features a 33-metre-high (108-foot) pyramid. At its peak are two preserved rooms adorned with murals depicting various symbolic representations, Carrillo said.

In Cambrayal, around three miles (4.8 kilometres) from Los Abuelos, scientists also identified “unique” water canals inside a palace, marking a notable discovery, the ministry said.

“These sites form a previously unknown urban triangle whose existence we were unaware of until now… These new archeological discoveries constitute a testament of Mayan culture’s greatness, which today we are making known to the whole world,” the ministry said.

The discoveries were made by Guatemalan and Slovak archaeologists, alongside international experts, as part of the Uaxactún Regional Archaeological Project (PARU) and with backing from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, officials said.

While rare, discoveries of new Mayan sites still occasionally happen, thanks to new research and technological improvements.

In April, archaeologists uncovered a mysterious 1,700-year-old altar containing human remains in the nearby ancient city of Tikal, approximately 23 kilometres (14 miles) south of Uaxactún. Although discovered in a ruined Mayan city, archaeologists believe it wasn’t decorated by Mayans, but was instead the work of artists trained hundreds of miles away in Teotihuacan.

Scientists in recent years have also detected new sites using laser mapping technology, revealing the interconnectivity of Mayan cities, towns and villages.

By Alysha Bibi and Diego Mendoza, CNN