Archaeologists managed to survey the ancient Mayan city, which sank during a natural disaster. Such an expedition was organized just now, although the intentions were years ago.
The fact is that the locals (and the city was located on the territory of modern Guatemala) consider this place sacred, and for a long time opposed the scientists to conduct their research.
At the top of the volcano is a huge lake Atitlan. During the heyday of the Maya civilization, a large city was founded on the islands of this lake, with many residential buildings, temples and squares.
But, presumably, the volcano woke up, because of its activity, the city was partially destroyed, and the remains of the buildings were submerged under water, to a depth of 20 meters.
It happened more than 2000 years ago, and since then there have been only legends telling about the local “Atlantis”. A few years ago, local fishermen discovered what they thought was a “city under water”, after which the authorities nevertheless decided on a full-fledged expedition.
From its beginning, on March 14, the expedition carried out diving tasks to georeference the place, thus obtaining data to create models in photogrammetry and virtual walks.
“The mission made it possible to lay the foundations for recommending the creation of a cultural center where people get to know and tour the site through digital reconstructions,” explained Helena Barba Meinecke, head of the Yucatan Peninsula Office of the INAH Underwater Archeology Subdirectorate.
Scientists have found the remains of buildings and fragments of ceramics. This will allow specialists to outline a rough plan of the city and conduct more detailed searches for both artifacts and signs that will allow them to understand exactly what disaster destroyed the prosperous city.
