Deep in the jungle of southern Mexico lie the ruins of a city that thrived for centuries before it was abandoned more than 1,000 years ago. Calakmul was once one of the two dueling superpowers—along with Tikal—of the Classic Maya civilization. At its height, around 1,200 years ago, the city of Calakmul had a population of about 50,000 people, but the kingdom as a whole numbered more than 1.5 million. Archaeologists have uncovered 6,750 structures here—the largest is this pyramid temple, called, simply, "Structure 2." It"s one of the tallest and most massive remaining structures from that highly advanced culture. The ruins of the city proper cover nearly 8 square miles in the jungle and the kingdom once ruled over settlements as far as 90 miles away.
The ruins of a Maya superpower
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
World Bamboo Day
-
Walking among the giants
-
National Moon Day
-
Bridge of Hillsborough County
-
Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
-
It’s Napping Day
-
Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
-
Up in the Highlands
-
May we have this dance?
-
A day for our oceans
-
In the path of the pronghorn
-
At the gates of the ksar
-
Tiny fliers head south
-
In praise of the pipes
-
It s aboat time for the Barcolana
-
Portland celebrates its bounty
-
Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
-
World Penguin Day
-
World Bee Day
-
Time to count some birds
-
Happy birthday to the Peak!
-
This view is brought to you by…
-
Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
-
A showcase for future fame
-
Burrowing owls
-
Baltic Sea, Estonia
-
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
-
Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
-
Cannes, France, in the spotlight
-
Rethymno, Crete, Greece