Massive 3,000-year-old Maya ceremonial complex discovered in 'plain sight'

Amazing stuff! Discovered with the aid of LIDAR!

Massive 3,000-year-old Maya ceremonial complex discovered in 'plain sight' (National Geographic, behind annoying subscription feature)

Large-scale early Maya sites in Mexico revealed by lidar mapping technology  Archaeology is transforming our view of how ancient Maya societies developed. Use of lidar technology has now led to the discovery that large, monumental structures that aid naked-eye astronomy were built unexpectedly early.

Lidar reveals the oldest and biggest Maya structure yet found | Science News: A previously unknown Maya site in Mexico, called Aguada Fénix, adds to evidence that massive public works may have preceded kings in the civilization.

Here is the research paper:
Monumental architecture at Aguada Fénix and the rise of Maya civilization | Nature Here we describe an airborne lidar survey and excavations of the previously unknown site of Aguada Fénix (Tabasco, Mexico) with an artificial plateau, which measures 1,400 m in length and 10 to 15 m in height and has 9 causeways radiating out from it. We dated this construction to between 1000 and 800 BC using a Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates.