Mythical Mayan Underworld Discovered

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Here’s a very cool story that was making the rounds over the weekend. Archeologists in Mexico have discovered a vast underground maze of chambers and temples dating back to the Mayan Empire that they believe was designed by that ancient civilization to serve as a gateway to the underworld where the dead passed from this life to the next.

Scientists came across these ruins hidden in underground caverns in the Yucatan Peninsula, and so far they’ve discovered 11 buried temples, connected by an interweaving series of tunnels. There are also remnants of human bones and other artifacts that indicate that the area served as a spot for human sacrifice.

Parts of the complex are submerged in water, which has forced explorers to don SCUBA gear to venture further into the hidden realm. Amongst the varying chambers, they have also come across a 330 foot long “road” that is the archeologists believe was a representation of the Mayan road to Xibalba, the mythical underworld believed to be the afterlife.

What an amazing discovery. It’s really cool that we can still find things like this in this day and age, and this seems like a pretty big find no less. They’ve been working away on it for more than five months, and who knows what else they’ll find down there once they’ve had a chance to explore the entire area. Seems like Lucas and Spielberg just found the subject of their next Indiana Jones movie!

Kraig Becker

10 thoughts on “Mythical Mayan Underworld Discovered”

  1. Every so often I hear of Mayan or Incan pyramids so thickly shrouded in jungle growth, that it’ll be years before they can be explored. Pretty cool, but this is amazing! Mexico has its own Valley of the Kings now…

  2. That’s a really good analogy. The Incan and Mayan civilizations were advanced enough to nearly rival the Egyptians, and they’ve left behind some very impressive artifacts of their own, but sometimes they’re over looked by history in terms of their accomplishments.

    I’d love to tour this site, but of course it’ll be years before it would ever be open to the public. Sounds amazing though.

  3. Soon enough they’ll need an archeologist to unearth Harrison Ford if they want to make another one. Great story. It gives me hope that exploration is still alive and well.

  4. I love anything about the Mayans – I am totally hooked, so thanks for this report!

    On December 21, 2012 I intend being on top of a very large mountain, somewhere.. anywhere!!

  5. Yep! It really is a great story. Makes you wonder what else is out there that we haven’t found yet.

    And Jo, I plan on going out with a celebration somewhere on Dec. 21st, 2012 as well. 🙂

  6. The Mayan calendar ends on that day. They believed it would be the end of the world. I’m not taking any chances! 😉

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