Ancient Mayan city Ocomtun discovered in Mexican jungle

Archaeologists exploring the deep jungles of Mexico uncovered the remains of a previously unknown ancient Mayan city.

A team from the Archeology Council of the National Institute of Anthropology and History discovered the city, which they named Ocomtun — meaning “stone column” in the Yucatec Maya language — while searching a largely untraversed stretch of the Balamku ecological reserve on the country’s Yucatan Peninsula, the group said Tuesday.

The scientists discovered large pyramid-like buildings, stone columns, three plazas with “imposing buildings” and other structures arranged in almost-concentric circles scattered throughout the thousand-year-old ancient settlement.

“The site served as an important center at the regional level, probably during the Classic period (250-1000 AD),” team leader Ivan Ṡprajc said in a statement.