Beneath the turquoise waters of Lake Atitlán, a Maya city over 2,000 years old has just been formally identified by researchers. This remarkable discovery in Guatemala is reshaping our understanding of one of the world’s oldest civilisations.
What if an entire city had been lying underwater for two millennia? This is not the plot of a film, but a discovery confirmed by a team of eight archaeologists and published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology on 23 March. Hidden beneath Lake Atitlán, in the heart of Guatemala, this submerged Maya city has remained astonishingly intact. Nicknamed the “Maya Atlantis”, the site was first uncovered in 2022, though its exact nature had yet to be confirmed. That has now been established.
The “Maya Atlantis” resurfaces
Contrary to early assumptions, the so-called Maya Atlantis — whose remains date back to the Preclassic period (between 350 BC and AD 250) — was neither a ceremonial space nor a ritual deposit. It was in fact a residential area, made up of various living spaces. The gradual rise in the lake’s water levels eventually submerged the entire city.
A complex yet methodical exploration
Locating the site was no easy task. Initial data pointed to an area far too vast to explore efficiently. Fortunately, in 2022, the use of sonar technology helped narrow the search zone and map part of the lakebed. Several dives followed, amounting to long hours of underwater observation.
Over the course of these explorations, archaeologists identified Maya dwellings, stone foundations and sculpted monuments. A number of artefacts were also studied — including an obsidian fragment and pieces of ceramic — before being carefully returned to their original environment.
As researchers now seek to understand the causes of this submersion, they have worked closely with the Tz’utujil Maya community — direct descendants of the city’s original builders — a civilisation that has yet to reveal all its secrets.
Interested in archaeology? These articles should spark your curiosity:
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