Space
Ancient Mayan City Discovered By 15 Year Old Boy Using Google Earth And Constellations
Sam D
First Posted: May 11, 2016 04:50 AM EDT
A 15-year-old boy has apparently discovered a long forgotten ancient Mayan city located in a dense Central American forest, according to recent reports. Teenager William Gadoury from Quebec claims to have made the discovery using a smart combination of modern day technology and old world astronomy.
The inquisitive teenager is deeply fascinated with ancient Maya, and it was this passion that brought him to the conclusion that the Mayans aligned their 117 cities with the positions of the stars, after studying 22 Mayan constellations. According to a report, this is the first time when a researcher has directly derived a link between stars and the geographical location of Mayan cities.
"I did not understand why the Maya built their cities away from rivers, on marginal lands and in the mountains," he told the Journal de Montreal. "They had to have another reason, and as they worshipped the stars, the idea came to me to verify my hypothesis. I was really surprised and excited when I realized that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities."
During the course of his research Gadoury realized that that was one star in the constellation which did not have a Mayan city as its counterpart, and this realization led to the claim of there being a lost and undiscovered city. According to reports, if the youngster's calculations and theory is correct, then the present day location of the ancient Mayan city would be on a remote coastal location in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
Gadoury zoomed into location using Google Earth maps and satellite images from the Canadian Space Agency, and saw linear features that suggested the presence of manmade structures underneath. The teenager apparently spotted about thirty partially hidden buildings and a pyramid in the forest.
Presently, the Canadian schoolboy has named the lost ancient city as K'aak Chi, meaning Mouth of Fire, and it is speculated to be one among five of the largest recorded Mayan cities. It is not surprising to know that the intelligent teen has become a local hero in his city, and the discovery has also won him praise from NASA, and space agencies in Japan and Canada. For now, William Gadoury can't wait to see the location himself.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: May 11, 2016 04:50 AM EDT
A 15-year-old boy has apparently discovered a long forgotten ancient Mayan city located in a dense Central American forest, according to recent reports. Teenager William Gadoury from Quebec claims to have made the discovery using a smart combination of modern day technology and old world astronomy.
The inquisitive teenager is deeply fascinated with ancient Maya, and it was this passion that brought him to the conclusion that the Mayans aligned their 117 cities with the positions of the stars, after studying 22 Mayan constellations. According to a report, this is the first time when a researcher has directly derived a link between stars and the geographical location of Mayan cities.
"I did not understand why the Maya built their cities away from rivers, on marginal lands and in the mountains," he told the Journal de Montreal. "They had to have another reason, and as they worshipped the stars, the idea came to me to verify my hypothesis. I was really surprised and excited when I realized that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities."
During the course of his research Gadoury realized that that was one star in the constellation which did not have a Mayan city as its counterpart, and this realization led to the claim of there being a lost and undiscovered city. According to reports, if the youngster's calculations and theory is correct, then the present day location of the ancient Mayan city would be on a remote coastal location in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
Gadoury zoomed into location using Google Earth maps and satellite images from the Canadian Space Agency, and saw linear features that suggested the presence of manmade structures underneath. The teenager apparently spotted about thirty partially hidden buildings and a pyramid in the forest.
Presently, the Canadian schoolboy has named the lost ancient city as K'aak Chi, meaning Mouth of Fire, and it is speculated to be one among five of the largest recorded Mayan cities. It is not surprising to know that the intelligent teen has become a local hero in his city, and the discovery has also won him praise from NASA, and space agencies in Japan and Canada. For now, William Gadoury can't wait to see the location himself.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone