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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
On the wings of the Wright brothers
-
The puffin-rabbit connection
-
Indigenous Peoples Day
-
The Millennium at 20
-
Reflections on Memorial Day
-
Happy 800th, Salisbury Cathedral
-
A peek behind the royal curtain
-
Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
-
Eye of the cave
-
National Bison Day
-
Friendship Day in the City of Brotherly Love
-
Put your flippers in the air…
-
Bringing together history and technology
-
Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
-
From garden to table?
-
Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
-
When Death Valley blew its top
-
Life carries on, rising from a ship s skeleton
-
We have liftoff!
-
Ready, set, read