In search of the lost city of 'El Mirador'

Beginning:

Readers will have heard of El Dorado, the city of gold. Whether El Dorado actually exists or not, there is no end to people's speculations about this name. But today's article is not about El Dorado. Rather, the name corresponds to a city that has been hidden from the public eye for a long time. I am talking about a lost Maya city called 'El Mirador'.

El Mirador (El Mirador) is a huge archaeological site, which may not be wrong to call it the 'predecessor of the Maya civilization'. El Mirador means 'the viewing place'. The reason for such a name may be the huge aggregate then. Presumably, these were watched from afar. The lost megacity of El Mirador is located in the thick jungles of present- day Guatemala in Central America. The Plaza of Tikal, which flourished between 700 and 800 AD, is often mentioned when talking about Guatemala's Maya ruins. A large number of pyramids and palace ruins are among the largest archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is spread over an area of more than 6 square miles and has as many as 3,000 structures.

El Mirador is hidden in the dense jungle of Guatemala; I mage source: Carmelita-El Mirador

El Mirador is hidden in the dense jungle of Guatemala; I mage source: Carmelita-El Mirador

However, the ancient Maya capital of El Mirador predates Tikal by centuries. It flourished between the 6th century BC and the 1st century announcement, and was home to thousands of people. Covering an area of 25 square kilometers, this site is still the best-known archaeological site of the Maya civilization.

It was the largest city in America at the time. This area is located just 6.5 km from the boundary of the protected biodiversity of Calacmul, Mexico. The basin of El Mirador, located in a deep forest, contains pre-classic archaeological sites including Nakbe, La-Muralla and Tintal. Cultural and architectural evidence from El Mirador suggests that Maya society existed in the region centuries before the Classic Period (150-900 AD).

The foremost agreement in the region is believed to have been erected around 1000- 900 BC and the monumental armature around 600 BC. El Mirador reached its peak between 400 BC and 200 announcement. This civilization developed an advanced conception of its colorful architectural designs and extended its rule over the entire Mirador Basin. A defensive wall was built here, and it is believed that the war hastened the decline of this civilization. Precious stones such as jade, obsidian and flint indicate that this was part of a large trade system that existed throughout the region. El Mirador was abandoned for the last time at the beginning of the Classic (900-1100 AD) period.

Experts using a special technology called LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) have released a laser scan of a new megalopolis under the jungles of Guatemala, where it indicates a vast interconnected network of ancient cities.

laser scan of the ancient city of El Mirador; Image source: leonidemartinblog

No further history of El Mirador was found until 1885. However, during this time Claudio Urrutia surveyed an area of the Mirador Basin and found ruins there. The city of El Mirador was discovered in 1926. Since there are no roads then, it's relatively delicate to reach these places. To reach here one has to pass through dense forest. In 1962, renowned researcher Ian Graham first surveyed the area and conducted extensive research there. He made the first map of this place. The first full-scale excavations of the city began in 1978, and were completed in 1983. Extensive research, excavations and investigations have been carried out during this time.

A 1978 archaeological survey revealed that El Mirador is much older than what we knew about the Maya civilization. El Mirador was larger than any other large Maya city. The Civic Center area alone spanned over 10 square miles. There are thousands of structures and temples, which are up to 200 feet high. Perhaps the main reason archaeologists are so amazed by El Mirador is the La-Danta pyramid.

         La-Danta Pyramid; Image source: viator.com

La-Danta is a three-tiered pyramid 232 feet high. Each layer of it rises up to the top. There are three temples along with the Orayan and Orayan Nakshatra alignments that represent the spark of creation for Maya. La-Danta is considered by some to be the largest structure in the ancient world by volume. It is not as tall as the Pyramids of Giza, but it is huge in size. Because, the La-Danta pyramid, built with about 99 million cubic feet of stone, is larger than the volume of the pyramids of Egypt at 92 million cubic feet. The base of this pyramid complex spans 45 acres and is 33 feet tall. Experts estimate that around 1.5 crore (or 15 million) workers took part in the construction of the entire structure of La-Danta.

The pyramids of El Mirador were designed based on astronomy and the positions of the stars. There are also about 7,000 stone structures, including the La-Danta pyramid. The other two pyramids in the city are El Tigre (180 feet high), and Los Monos (157 feet high). These pyramids are different from other pyramids in the world, because they are like huge pyramidal monuments in triadic structure (triadic pattern). In fact, El Mirador has a total of 35 such triadic structures. All of these mysterious structures were of smooth stone, decorated with stone masks of Maya deities. Also the main temples show alignments probably related to the movement of the sun.

Structure of the Triadic Pyramid; Image source: printables.com

While the view of this temple is impressive, there is something underneath that sheds new light on Maya mythology. Idaho State University Dr. Richard Hansen is leading the current investigation. He made a remarkable discovery in 2009. At this time an underground acropolis (citadel) was discovered. A room (stucco panels) covered with carved plaster 26 feet long was found on the Acropolis, perfectly preserved underground for thousands of years.

It gives some information about Hunapu and Xblanca, the twin brothers of Maya mythology. These supernaturally gifted twin brothers resurrected their father Hun Hunapu, who was killed by the evil god of the underworld. The two brothers wore clothes made of jaguar skin. The story of how these two brothers swam through the ghosts and retrieved the head of their father Hun Hunapur is depicted in this myth.

Maya legends found on stucco panels carved in stone; Image source: Maya Decipherment

The city was well suited for agriculture. Due to the abundance of mud these were used to cover the surrounding areas. Apart from this, crops such as corn, beans, cotton, palm, squash etc. were grown there by fertilizing with lime. As the soil eroded, they removed more silt from the wetlands. One of the most attractive features of the city is the causeway or the special path built over the water. Both the volume and size of these causeways connect important parts of the city internally, but also externally connect Aylmer to the doorstep of other Maya settlements.

A few miles apart, these causeways are 2-6 meters above the ground, and their width is about 20-50 meters. Experts estimate that the city was probably home to 1 lakh to 2.5 lakh people. Archaeologists discovered a large wall 3-8 meters high that was built in the western, northeastern and southern parts of the city. They believe soil erosion due to deforestation led to the city's decline. As a result, the soil was not suitable for farming, and farmers failed to grow crops. This prosperous civilization eventually collapsed.

Thousands of years before Europeans came to the Americas, the Mayan people created their own myths. Excavations beneath the Acropolis have uncovered another stunning snake-glyph, or serpentine figure carved in stone, believed to be linked to a mysterious and extensive dynasty of serpent-rulers. So they are also called Sarparaja.

snake-glyphs; Image source: The last word on nothing

These kings left their mark throughout much of Maya civilization. They are believed to have formed strong alliances between the various surrounding empires. Kings are said to have dominated the region between 400 and 600 AD after the fall of El Mirador. Serpent paintings found in El Mirador reconstructed in the jungle may mean that this lost city was also the original home of the Serpent-Dynasty.

  Image Source: Global Heritage Fund    

Many ancient Maya city ruins have been looted in a report. According to the report, approximately 10 million dollars worth of artifacts are sold illegally every month. And for the same reason, El Mirador is now in danger. Besides, its ancient structures and monuments are also under threat due to indiscriminate deforestation.