Recently, a team of archaeologists explored the Mayan city submerged millennia ago in Lake Atitlán, discovered inside the crater of a volcano in Guatemala.
Again and again we heard stories about the mythical Atlantis, one of the most important hydrographic accidents in Guatemala. After some discoveries, it was possible to separate the fantasy from what really happened in this place, and to learn a little more about the Mayan culture.
The beginning of the Mayan civilization
Many years ago, existed in the middle of the lake atitlán a complex city, made up of houses, temples, squares and stelae. He was built at the end of the preclassic period (circa 400 BC – 250 AD) on an islet in the lake.
It is currently submerged between 12 and 20 meters deep, but, What happened? One day, unexpectedly, the waters began to cover the area until it was completely submerged. This is how this important archaeological site, still studied today, was born.
View of Lake Atitlan. Jean Francois / Wikimedia Commons
A diver makes a great discovery
In 1996, a male diving expert named Roberto Samayoa Asmus of Guatemalan origin, he was investigating the waters of Lake Atitlán, when he found a ceramic stone. Although it may seem simple, this small tableware caught his attention, and He decided to keep exploring to see if he found anything else..
While he was already a few meters deep, he continued to find remnants of earthenware. Some time passed and Roberto continued to investigate the waters of the lake, after some explorations, finally found several archaeological pieces of great importance.
Roberto Samayoa was in charge of discovery.
Finally, he discovered that in the place there were enigmatic formations made by hand by a person. Looking carefully, he was able to realize that they were old buildings.
The amazing remains are part of an ancient Mayan settlement that stood on a small island in the lake and was baptized as samabaj, by part of the surname of its discoverer, “sam”, and the Maya word “abaj”, which means “stone”.
An innovative way to preserve the Mayan Atlantis
Since the discovery the Mayan Atlantis was a highly protected space by scientists, archaeologists and even by UNESCO. For this reason, they succeeded in making people see the city submerged in the waters of the lake without causing any damage.
Archaeologist and underwater researcher Helena Barba Meinecke sought a way to make the site visualized through non-invasive virtual technology. This is so that it is extremely important to take care and preserve respect for the indigenous culture, because for them this place is sacred.
In reality, residents residing in Santiago de Atitlán they monitor the site day and night, to contribute to its conservation. The Guatemalan government has also banned diving in the waters of the lake.
Studies and results
The explorations made it possible to relocate and georeference the buildings, stelae and structures of the ancient city. 1 credit
For many years the city was studied frequently, thanks to some surveys it was possible to find some old buildings. This, in turn, gave archaeologists the opportunity to recreate a map to find out a bit about the location of all the structures.
Studies have shown that the Mayan Atlantis measures approximately 200 by 300 square meters. And they continue to research to find out what caused the city to become completely submerged in the waters.
What could have caused the sinking of the Maya Atlantis?
Scientific theories offer several reasons, one of them is that maybe, there was a big storm which caused the water level to rise. When the town started to flood there was no turning back, the tide never went down and it was left completely submerged.
There is also another hypothesis, which proposes that the island sank due to a rash. Well, in the area where it is, it is surrounded by 3 large volcanoes, in fact, Lake Atitlán is said to be the crater. Although this theory is unproven, it seems to be one of the most consistent.
Finally, some scientists have proposed that what happened in the city was a gigantic earthquake that caused the tide level to rise. However, all the hypotheses are conjectures which, although they seem valid, are not confirmed.
The legends of the lost city
For many centuries Mayan Atlantis was a complete enigma, it is said to have been a city that housed an advanced and highly intelligent civilization. The legends mention that the sinking of the city happened because the gods sent earthquakes and fires They eventually submerged in the waters of the lake.
You might also be interested in: They find evidence in Mexico of a civilization 8,000 years older than the Maya.
Unfortunately, what really happened on the site has yet to be discovered. But it is expected that in the future the true story will be revealed and we can all benefit from it.
References: INAH / National Geographic / The Sun of Mexico.
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