8 Striking Lost Cities and Structures Reclaimed by Nature
6. Calakmul, Mexico
Aerial view of ruins of the Maya city of Calakmul, surrounded by the jungle.
Image Credit: Alfredo Matus / Shutterstock
Calakmul, in southern Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is a former Maya city thought to have thrived between the 5th and 8th centuries AD. Its inhabitants are known to have battled with the Maya city of Tikal, in present-day Guatemala. After the decline of the Maya civilisation, this remote jungle settlement was overtaken by the surrounding wildlife.
Despite its age, portions of Calakmul remain well preserved to this day. The site is home to more than 6,000 structures, for example, including the settlement’s towering stone pyramid, which when viewed from above can be seen peeking through the dense tree cover. Calakmul, which translates to ‘The Place of Adjacent Mounds’, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002
Aerial view of ruins of the Maya city of Calakmul, surrounded by the jungle.
Image Credit: Alfredo Matus / Shutterstock
Calakmul, in southern Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is a former Maya city thought to have thrived between the 5th and 8th centuries AD. Its inhabitants are known to have battled with the Maya city of Tikal, in present-day Guatemala. After the decline of the Maya civilisation, this remote jungle settlement was overtaken by the surrounding wildlife.
Despite its age, portions of Calakmul remain well preserved to this day. The site is home to more than 6,000 structures, for example, including the settlement’s towering stone pyramid, which when viewed from above can be seen peeking through the dense tree cover. Calakmul, which translates to ‘The Place of Adjacent Mounds’, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002
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12 May 2023
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