The Mayan city found in the jungle revealed its name and the name of its ruler / Vitan Vujanović / INAH
Archaeologists have deciphered inscriptions in a "lost" Mayan city in Mexico. They determined the probable ancient name of the settlement, the name of its ruler, and found traces of conflict with neighbors.
What did the inscriptions of the found Mayan city reveal?
The city lies in the state of Campeche, north of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. In May 2026, a Mexican-Slovenian team led by Ivan Šprajc discovered the settlement and named it Minanbe. In the Yucatec Maya language, this means "no road" – due to the difficult path through the forest. Now epigrapher Octavio Esparza Olguín from the National Autonomous University of Mexico has deciphered the hieroglyphs on stone monuments that survived more than a thousand years of abandonment, writes Arkeonews.
How did archaeologists find the settlement?
The research is part of a long-term survey of the central Maya lowlands. First, scientists found ancient structures using lidar data collected from the air, which shows objects beneath the tree canopy. Then the team, together with local workers, cleared about 5 kilometers of overgrown terrain, and then traveled on all-terrain vehicles and walked on foot.
Unlike many other monuments in the region, Minanbe had no visible traces of modern looting. The settlement covers about 15 hectares and has plazas, palace and religious buildings, terraces, and water management structures. One of the pyramids is over 13 meters tall and has features characteristic of the Río Bec style.
During the initial survey, archaeologists recorded 14 stelae and altars, some of which have carved figures and hieroglyphs. They help reconstruct the history of the city in the Late Classic period, approximately 600–900 CE.
In total, almost 20 monuments were documented at the site, but time and deliberate damage have erased a significant portion of the written references. Traces of inscriptions or images survived on at least five of them. Three-dimensional models created by photogrammetry made it possible to examine the damaged surfaces under different lighting and recognize signs that were difficult to make out in the field.
Who ruled the city and what was it called?
According to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, Esparza Olguín found the name Suuts, meaning "Bat," on Stela 7 and Altar 6. Stela 7 was once a larger monument that the Maya divided into three parts. On one of the surviving fragments, the ruler is depicted wearing a lavish headdress, a chest ornament, decorated clothing, and sandals.
The hieroglyphs on the left side of the monument record his name along with a title associated with the place, which contains the signs "sak" and "ajaw," meaning "lord." Their arrangement resembles another inscription at Okomtun, a Maya city about 40 kilometers northwest of Minanbe. This is what prompted the scholar to propose the ancient name Sakil for Minanbe. It is a Maya word associated with whiteness.
The inscriptions also link Suuts to the prestigious title "kalomte'." For most of the Classic period, it was borne by powerful rulers with regional authority, although toward the end of the era it was increasingly adopted by smaller centers as well. Thus, the ruler of Minanbe claimed significant political influence, even though the city was small.
Conflict between two cities
The clearest evidence of tension comes from Okomtun, a larger center that Šprajc's team discovered in 2023. There, on Monument 1, archaeologists found an inscription. This carved stone was once a door lintel, and later someone used it as a step in an architectural complex.
The relief depicts a captive lying face down with bound wrists and his head turned to the side. The hieroglyphs nearby indicate that he comes from Sakil. Comparing this inscription with Stela 7 at Minanbe, Esparza Olguín suggested a connection between the two cities and their rulers.
Researchers believe that Minanbe and Okomtun, whose ancient name is identified as Maats, were at war during the Late Classic period. However, the surviving inscriptions do not yet reveal either the circumstances of the clash or its consequences.
Later, in June 2026, the team reported another monument that probably contains a decapitation scene and a date corresponding to 849 CE. This is nearly the end of the political order of the Classic era in the region.
The new readings have transformed Minanbe from a recently mapped site into a settlement with a probable ancient name, a known ruler, and traces of rivalry with a neighbor.
Related topics:
All news
Russia's war with Ukraine
Mobilization in Ukraine
Economic news
Cinema
Education news
Real estate
Sports
79008, Ukraine, Lviv Oblast, city of Lviv, Halytska Square, building 15
Online media identifier in the Register of Media Entities – R40-06057