The last Mayan city has revealed a treasure trove of buried secrets
History unfolds before us
Archaeologists in Guatemala found themselves in front of a treasure trove of finds in their recent excavation of the last Mayan city to resist the Europeans. The city of Tayasal was first inhabited in 900 BC, until it fell to the Spanish conquistadors in 1967, a century after Europeans arrived in the lands we know today as Guatemala.
During the excavation, ceramic objects, tombs, bullets from Spanish weapons and much more were discovered.
It took over 100 years for the northern part of Guatemala to be completely under the Spanish yoke and this was mainly because the jungle acted as a natural border, making the arrival of the Spanish in these parts very difficult.
Tayasal has most of its buildings buried under soil and vegetation, and has an area of 7 square kilometers. Among the buildings that are partially exposed is the 30-meter-high citadel, where the city’s rulers resided. A pre-Hispanic water well was also found.
The Mayan civilization reached its peak between 250m.X. and 900 AD and spanned present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras.
