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Just when you thought there is nothing hidden any more, that man has seen and explored every inch of this planet, archeologists discover an ancient “lost city”, deep in the Honduras forests.
It all began in 2012 with a team of scientists, in search of the “White City”, or “City of the Monkey God” in the Honduran rain forest. It seems their expectations were too low as what they discovered was much more than they could hope for: not only a city, but an entire ancient society.
In 2012, an aerial inspection of a secluded valley situated in La Mosquita, Honduras showed signs of possible ruins of a pre-Columbian settlement. Some of the archeologists thought they might have found the legendary “White City”, described as a “mystical, Eden-like paradise”.
The “White City” has been a fascinating subject for more than a century. According to local stories, it is believed inhabitants of those times hid in the legendary city from the Spanish conquistadores. The location of the “White City” has never been confirmed.
The team decided to ask for help from the Honduran government in order to go and explore the surveyed area in order to finally see whether or not that is the true “City of the Monkey God”.
National Geographic sent a journalist and a photographer with the archeological crew in order to document the findings. What they found was astonishing: an ancient, never before explored city. Archeologists described “extensive plazas, earthworks, mounds and an earthen pyramid” and an amazing collection of over 50 stone sculptures.
Christopher Fisher, one of the members of the archeological crew said that the city was in an unspoiled condition, something “incredibly rare”. They believe the city dates back to somewhere between 1,000 and 1,400 A.D.
The team now believes that there might be more than just one ancient site in Mosquita. Instead, they think more such “lost cities” might be hidden in the Honduran jungle, a place where 1,000 years ago, an ancient culture might have thrived…and then disappeared. There is currently no available information regarding this newly discovered civilization; not even a name.
This discovery will contribute to understanding the region and its pre-Columbian history. There is need for extensive research in order to understand what caused the disappearance of this unknown civilization. Some hypotheses have already emerged: societal collapse, environmental factors, conflicts or the “European-introduced disease”.
Image Source: NBC News
