### Ancient Mayan City Found in Guatemala Sheds Light on Early Civilization

A recently unearthed Mayan city in northern Guatemala is rewriting the history of early Mesoamerican civilization. Known as Los Abuelos, the site has been hidden for nearly 3,000 years in the dense Petén jungle, and its discovery is considered one of the most significant archaeological finds of the last decade. According to reports from The Guardian and official announcements by Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports, the city reveals sophisticated urban planning and ceremonial complexity during one of the earliest known periods of the Maya.

Located just 21 kilometers from the well-known Mayan ceremonial site Uaxactun, Los Abuelos spreads over 16 square kilometers. The discovery was made by Guatemalan and Slovak archaeologists working in unexplored sections of Uaxactun National Park. Among the site's notable features is a 33-meter-high pyramid adorned with murals, suggesting ritualistic significance. "The site presents remarkable architectural planning," the ministry stated, highlighting the unique iconography sculpted into the pyramids and monuments.

Central to Los Abuelos are two anthropomorphic sculptures that inspired the site's name, meaning "The Grandparents" in Spanish. These statues date between 500 and 300 BC and serve as powerful symbols of ancestral worship, reflecting a deep-rooted belief system centered on lineage and reverence for forebears. According to the ministry, these figures could be linked to ancient ritual practices of ancestor worship, indicating a sociopolitical role of lineage in legitimizing leadership and justifying urban development.

One of the most intriguing findings is the identification of Los Abuelos within a newly discovered urban triangle, alongside two other yet-unnamed sites. This configuration suggests a coordinated civic development strategy much earlier than previously believed. The ministry explained that these discoveries allow researchers to rethink the understanding of ceremonial and sociopolitical organization in pre-Hispanic Petén.

These insights challenge long-held assumptions that complex urban planning among the Maya emerged much later. Instead, they suggest an earlier, decentralized yet highly structured society capable of large-scale ceremonial coordination and urban engineering. The implications of this discovery extend far beyond Guatemala, offering new perspectives on Mesoamerican political development.