In 2020, scientists and anthropologists, with the authorization of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), were looking for primitive Mayan settlements near the border with Guatemala when they discovered Aguada Fénix. The find left them surprised.
And it is that, among trees and mud, the group, led by Dr. Takeshi Inomata, a professor at the University of Arizona, found a monument almost 1,400 meters long and between 9 and 15 meters high. they had just found the largest Mayan structure known to date.
Similarly, radiocarbon tests at the site found that it was built between 1,000 and 800 years BC, thus confirming that Aguada Fénix is the oldest Mayan building in the world.
How was Aguada Fénix discovered?
According to Dr. Takeshi Inomata, in 2017 the first indications of the ruins were found thanks to technology Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar), that allows to obtain an accurate map of the sites through laser tests.
Consequently, they discovered the monument which, at 1,400 meters long and 400 meters wide, is larger in volume than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
A structure built with atypical material
Certainly, unlike all Mayan stone-built constructions, only clay was used in the monument; and it is estimated that at least three million cubic meters of this material and earth were needed; as well as many hands to erect the structure with its nine causeways.
In addition, scientists consider that the monument was used for the communal practice of rituals; and also reveals the importance of community work in the early stages of the Mayan civilization.
Eventually, animal bones, precious stones, vessels and ceramics were found and to date, excavations at the site continue.