Guatemala: Spy Satellite Spots Lost Mayan Cities......Peru: Mysterious Pyramid Complex Discovered

[Dover]

Spy Satellite Spots Lost Mayan Cities
By Brendan Kolbay,Reuters



GUATEMALA CITY (Feb. 20) - Ancient Mayan astronomers aligned their soaring temples with the stars and now modern archeologists have found the ruins of hidden cities in the Guatemalan jungle by peering down from space.

Archeologists and NASA scientists began teaming up five years ago to search for clues about the mysterious collapse of the Mayan civilization that flourished in Central America and southern Mexico for 1,000 years.

The work is paying off, says archeologist William Saturno, who recently discovered five sprawling sites with hundreds of buildings using a spy satellite that can see through clouds and forest to reveal differences in the vegetation below.

Saturno said the satellite images made it infinitely easier to find ruins covered for centuries by dense jungle vines and trees. "It was like shooting fish in a barrel," he said.

Saturno first sought out satellite images to find a source of water near his excavation camp at San Bartolo, which lies 32 miles from the nearest town on inaccessible roads deep in Guatemala's northern Peten region.

NASA gave him a snapshot of solar radiation reflected off the wide variety of plants in the region. Saturno was surprised to see a pattern of discoloration in the satellite image that outlined some of the buildings he had already uncovered.

Using a GPS device, he pinpointed on a map the location of other discolorations nearby and discovered several areas with hidden Mayan architecture....> cont'd

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/spy-satellite-spots-lost-mayan-cities/20080220171809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001


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Mysterious Pyramids Discovered in Peru....

The remnants of at least ten pyramids have been discovered on the coast of Peru, marking what could be a vast ceremonial site of an ancient, little-known culture, archaeologists say.

In January construction crews working in the province of Piura discovered several truncated pyramids and a large adobe platform (see map). Officials from Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC) were dispatched to inspect the discovery.

Last week they announced that the complex, which is 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) long and 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide, belonged to the ancient Vicús culture and was likely either a religious center or a cemetery for nobility.

The Vicús was a pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished in Peru's northern coastal desert from 200 B.C to 300 A.D. and is known for its decorated ceramics.

Experts say little is known about the culture, because its sites have been heavily looted over the years.

"We found several partial pyramids, at least ten," said César Santos Sánchez, chief archaeologist for INC's Piura division.

"We also found a large adobe platform that we speculate could have been used for burial rituals. But we cannot know without further testing." ...> cont'd

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080220-vicus-pyramids.html

[Extend a Hand]

1. Now that is really neat!

[lonestarnot]

2. Tooooooo frickin' interesting!

:applause:

on edit: a god's eye! whoa!

[Aviation Pro]

3. Any Lat/Longs?

Let's see if Google Earth has been updated.

[Richard Steele]

4. Cool beans! K&R

[lonestarnot]

5. I just updated My Forums!

honk honk :applause:

[lonestarnot]

6. Can we aim that piece at the Hohokams?

I really would like to know where they went.

[applegrove]

7. Cool. I love stuff like that.

[aquart]

8. So cool. But so looted.