November 1, 2018

40 New Sites Found Near the capital of the Izapa Kingdom in Chiapas

Archaeologists have found that the ancient Izapa kingdom capital in Chiapas (700 BCE-100 BCE) is surrounded by 40 smaller towns, all laid out in the Izapa style. The newly discovered towns were found using LIDAR, and are laid out in an area encompassing 225 square miles. The design of the towns were laid out in an east-west axis aligned with the sunrise during winter solstice. The north-south axis was pointed just east of north, toward the Tacanávolcano (which eventually erupted and led to the downfall of the Izapa kingdom. Most have a pyramid on tops of platforms looking out on plazas and mounds. Ball courts have been revealed at many of the sites. Magnetometer and LIDAR research will continue. It appears there are large monumental sculptures yet to be excavated.

Live Science has the report here;
https://www.livescience.com/63935-ancient-izapa-towns-discovered.html?fbclid=IwAR2soDvG7O743DbSPM_Qy4eJ8l99uZ0l0aTsyfYvH2o8QS97Buj8v4tL0aM

And a slide show here;
https://www.livescience.com/63930-photos-izapa-kingdom.html

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