Archaeologists have discovered the remains of three Mayan cities in the Petén jungle region of Guatemala, arranged in a triangular pattern, each about 5 km apart.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed that these cities were settled during the Middle Preclassic period (1000–400 BC).
Among them:
1. The city of "Los Obuillos" (the ancestors), named after two stone statues (a man and a woman), believed to represent ancestors, was a ritual center and was repopulated in the Late Classic period (600–900 AD). The city includes an astronomical complex built to observe the solstice.
Human burials, the remains of two cats, pottery, shells, and arrowheads were found there.
2- The city of Petnal has a pyramid 33 meters high, topped by a room with walls containing red, white and black murals.
It is likely that it was a political center. An altar in the shape of a frog, a symbol of fertility, was discovered there.
3- The city of Cambrayal is characterized by a system of canals that transport water from a tank located at the top of the palace, perhaps to drain waste.
This discovery reflects the advanced civil and cognitive development of the Mayan civilization, especially in urban engineering and astronomy.
