Archaeologists uncover untouched Mayan city deep in Campeche jungle
A previously unknown Mayan ruin complex, named Minanbé, has been excavated in the dense rainforest of Campeche, revealing a well-preserved temple and other structures.
After a 13-year-old aerial image hinted at a hidden settlement, a multinational team headed by Ivan Sprajc finally accessed the site by hacking through jungle with machetes, then traveling by ATV and on foot for about six kilometres. The newly named Minanbé, meaning “no path” in Mayan, lies in the deepest part of Campeche’s rainforest and contains a 13-metre tall pyramid-shaped temple, several palace-type structures, agricultural terraces, water channels and rows of altars.
One notable stele still bears glyphs and a carved beheading scene, a rare find for the region. The complex, covering roughly 15 hectares, has been dated to AD 600-900, coinciding with Calakmul’s peak, and offers fresh insight into the later centuries of Mayan civilization. Mexican culture minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza highlighted the discovery’s significance on social media.
Why it matters
The find provides rare, well-preserved evidence of late-classic Mayan urban life and expands knowledge of the civilization’s regional development.
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