Valeriana: Everything We Know About Mexican 'Lost City'

Story by Aristos Georgiou • 3d • 4 min read

Archaeologists have revealed thousands of previously unknown ancient Maya structures in southeast Mexico, including an entire hidden city—Valeriana—with impressive pyramids, a study reports.

Many of the more than 6,600 structures identified by a study are located close to modern settlements, despite being unknown to the Mexican government and the scientific community.

The research, published in the journal Antiquity, involved an analysis of LiDAR data covering parts of Campeche state—an understudied corner of the Maya world. LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technique that can reveal hidden archaeological features in a landscape. The study supports the notion of a "populous and urban ancient Maya landscape" in the examined area.

Furthermore, the results suggest that much more evidence of urbanism is waiting to be discovered in the central Maya Lowlands—a region in the southern part of the Yucatán Peninsula, encompassing parts of present-day Guatemala, Belize and the Mexican states of Campeche and Quintana Roo. This area, characterized by its tropical forests, limestone plains and seasonal wetlands, was a core hub of the ancient Maya civilization, particularly during the Classic Period (A.D. 250 to 900).



LiDAR map showing details of the Valeriana site core in Campeche, Mexico. The Maya city is among numerous archaeological features revealed by an analysis of LiDAR data. Auld-Thomas et al., Antiquity 2024
© Auld-Thomas et al., Antiquity 2024

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