With the help of advanced laser technology, archaeologists have unveiled a sprawling ancient Mayan city, Valeriana, buried beneath Mexico’s dense Yucatan rainforest.

The city, discovered in a recent study, likely home to 30,000-50,000 people around 750-850 CE, spans an area comparable to Edinburgh, the Scottish capital.

Using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, researchers detected structures obscured by dense vegetation in Campeche, southwest Mexico, revealing agricultural fields, sports courts, an amphitheater, and pyramids.

While the reasons for Valeriana’s decline over a millennium ago remain unclear, climate change is suspected as a possible cause.

The new findings were published in Antiquity, a peer-reviewed journal on archaeology, shedding light on the Mayan civilization, which thrived across southeastern Mexico and Central America with significant advances in astronomy, mathematics, and architecture.