HUGE MEGALITHIC RUINS DISCOVERED in southern Mexico | Las misteriosas ruinas de Tonalá, Chiapas
Who built these massive megalithic platforms with stone blocks weighing up to 8 tons? And what secrets lie hidden among the human heads and glyphs carved in stone near Pijijiapan? 📍 Deep in the jungle-covered mountains of southern Chiapas rises Iglesia Vieja, a little-known archaeological site with astonishing architecture — cyclopean walls and megalithic granite platforms assembled without mortar. 🌀 Just a few kilometers away, near Pijijiapan, a series of mysterious stone carvings were unearthed in the 1930s and 1950s. Some resemble Olmec art… but their true origin remains unknown. 📽️ In our new video, we explore these remote and mysterious sites in search of clues that may point to a civilization even older than the Maya, with possible ties with the Andes of South America. 🔍 Could these be the forgotten remnants of a yet unknown megalithic culture lost to history?
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🇲🇽 ESPAÑOL ¿Quién construyó estas enormes plataformas megalíticas con bloques de hasta 8 toneladas? ¿Y qué secretos se esconden entre los glifos y cabezas humanas talladas en piedra cerca de Pijijiapan? 📍 En lo alto de una montaña cubierta de selva, se alza Iglesia Vieja, un sitio arqueológico casi olvidado en el sur de Chiapas. Su arquitectura monumental —muros ciclópeos y plataformas perfectamente ensambladas sin mortero— desafía nuestras ideas sobre las capacidades tecnológicas de las antiguas culturas mesoamericanas. 🌀 A sólo unos kilómetros, en las cercanías de Pijijiapan, se descubrieron una serie de esculturas pétreas enigmáticas que algunos han relacionado con el arte olmeca... pero su verdadero origen sigue envuelto en misterio. 📽️ En nuestro nuevo video, exploramos estos sitios remotos y poco conocidos, buscando pistas que podrían revelar la existencia de una civilización aún más antigua que los Mayas. 🔍 ¿Estamos ante los vestigios de un pueblo megalítico desconocido olvidado por la historia?
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The ULTIMATE Impossible to Reach Places on Google Earth
I am convinced that these are the most Incredible places on Planet Earth, that are completely OFF - LIMITS. I am fascinated by them, especially Number 1, which is perhaps the most visually stunning, and explosive landscape in the entire world... This list will take you from places like the Grand Canyon, to the Amazon Rainforest, to the Arctic Circle. These are the result of spending countless hours researching remote places, scouring Google Earth, and are similar to the places I want to explore in the future - so make sure to subscribe to see how close I can get. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below- what are some of your favorite strange locations in the world. If you had to go anywhere on this list- where would you go? Thanks a ton for watching.
I Climbed to the Most DANGEROUS Village in America!
While exploring a remote area of the American Southwest, I stumbled upon ancient ruins and breathtaking geological formations that took my breath away. From towering cliffs to hidden archaeological sites, this journey revealed the incredible history and resilience of the ancient peoples who once thrived in these harsh, rugged landscapes. Join me as I uncover the secrets of this mysterious land and experience the awe-inspiring beauty and cultural richness of the Southwest.
Lost Maya Rebel City in ‘Land of the White Jaguar’ Located
After three centuries buried beneath Mexico's dense Lacandon jungle, archaeologists believe they have finally located Sak-Bahlán - the legendary "land of the white jaguar" and last stronghold of the rebellious Lacandon-Ch'olti' Maya who resisted Spanish conquest for over a century. The discovery of this long-lost city represents the culmination of decades of searching by historians and archaeologists, guided by advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology that pinpointed the exact location where the final Maya rebels made their stand against colonial forces.
The site, formally registered as "Sol y paraíso. Probablemente Sak-Bahlán" in Mexico's Public Registry of Archaeological and Historic Monuments and Zones, was located through groundbreaking predictive modeling developed by INAH researcher Josuhé Lozada Toledo. His breakthrough came from analyzing 17th-century Spanish chronicles, particularly those of Friar Diego de Rivas from 1698, which described the treacherous journey to this remote Maya refuge, says an INAH report.
The project, co-directed by experts from Winthrop University (USA) and Rissho University (Japan), includes the participation of INAH. (Josuhé Lozada/CINAH Chiapas)
The Last Bastion of Maya Resistance
According to the report, Sak-Bahlán served as the final refuge for the Lacandon-Ch'olti' Maya after Spanish forces captured their original capital, Lacam-Tún ("Great Rock"), in 1586. For 110 years, this remote settlement maintained its independence in the heart of what is now the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, becoming a symbol of indigenous resistance against European colonization. The site was first documented by Spanish missionaries in 1695, when Friar Pedro de la Concepción glimpsed the fortified settlement during a missionary expedition.
According to historical records, Sak-Bahlán was strategically positioned on a plain surrounded by the meandering curves of the Lacantún River, making it nearly impregnable to Spanish attack. The Maya inhabitants utilized the natural terrain to their advantage, creating what historian Jan de Vos described in his seminal work "La Paz de Dios y del Rey" (1988) as the final chapter in an indigenous tragedy - or as he bluntly stated, "This book deals with ethnocide."
The Spanish eventually conquered Sak-Bahlán and renamed it "Nuestra Señora de los Dolores" (Our Lady of Sorrows), but the settlement was abandoned by 1721 as colonial pressures and disease decimated the population. By 1769, Spanish records indicate only three survivors remained from what had once been a thriving community.
The archaeological project has conducted two field seasons to map the site and construct test pits to determine its temporal occupation. (Josuhé Lozada/CINAH Chiapas)
GIS Technology Solves Historical Mystery
The breakthrough in locating Sak-Bahlán came through innovative archaeological methodology combining historical documentation with cutting-edge technology. Lozada Toledo used ArcGIS Pro software to create predictive models based on colonial-era travel accounts, topographic data, vegetation patterns, and water sources. His analysis of Friar Diego de Rivas's detailed 1698 chronicle proved particularly crucial.
"I took data from the friar De Rivas's chronicle of 1698; for example, he narrates that year, he and a troop of soldiers departed from Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (formerly Sak-Bahlán) and walked four days to the Lacantún River," explained Lozada Toledo. By georeferencing known locations and calculating travel times based on terrain difficulty and cargo loads, he identified the most probable location for the lost settlement.
The international research team, co-directed by Dr. Brent Woodfill from Winthrop University and Dr. Yuko Shiratori from Rissho University in Japan, received funding from Discovery Channel to document their expedition. The search location, near the confluence of the Jataté and Ixcán rivers, proved to match exactly with Lozada's GIS predictions.
The discovery of Sak-Bahlán provides crucial archaeological evidence for understanding the final phases of Maya resistance against Spanish conquest. Unlike other Maya settlements that fell quickly to European diseases and military might, the Lacandon-Ch'olti' people maintained their independence through strategic isolation and fierce resistance.
Previous expeditions had attempted to locate Sak-Bahlán, including a 1999 expedition by Conservation International that included historian Jan de Vos himself, but the dense jungle and challenging terrain had kept the site hidden. The current project represents what Lozada describes as "the most demanding fieldwork of my life," requiring satellite internet connections and extreme physical endurance to reach the remote location.
Archaeological teams have completed two field seasons mapping the site and conducting test excavations to determine its temporal occupation. While full excavation results remain pending, initial findings confirm human occupation consistent with the historical period of Lacandon-Ch'olti' resistance (1586-1695 AD).
Legacy of Maya Cultural Survival
The rediscovery of Sak-Bahlán adds a crucial chapter to the complex history of Maya civilization in Chiapas and provides physical evidence of indigenous resistance strategies. The site's remote location in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, one of Mexico's most biodiverse regions, illustrates how the Lacandon-Ch'olti' people used their intimate knowledge of jungle terrain to maintain autonomy.
The broader significance extends beyond archaeology to contemporary indigenous rights issues. The Lacandon jungle remains home to modern Maya descendants who continue facing challenges from development pressures, deforestation, and cultural preservation needs. The discovery of Sak-Bahlán offers validation of indigenous historical narratives that Spanish colonial documents often dismissed or minimized.
The research project, which will be featured in the Discovery Channel documentary "Discovering the Hidden Maya City: Sac Balam," demonstrates how modern technology can unlock historical mysteries. Lozada Toledo's methodology will be published in the upcoming issue of Chicomoztoc magazine, potentially revolutionizing how archaeologists search for lost Maya cities throughout Mesoamerica.
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
There are more than 1,000 moai statues on Easter Island, representing a key part of the region’s cultural and archeological past.
A new moai, smaller than most, was found in a dried-up lakebed.
The new find raises the potential for additional moai finds in the future.
Just when experts thought they knew every moai on Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island, a dried-up lakebed kept them on their toes. These statues—largely made of a stone formed from volcanic ash and dust called tuff—pepper the island, with more than 1,000 already found and logged.
Finding a new one came as a surprise. And a bit of a mystery.
“We think we know all the moai, but then a new one turns up, a new discovery, and in this case, in the lake, at the statue quarry,” Terry Hunt, professor of archeology at the University of Arizona, toldGood Morning America. “There have been no moai found in the dry bed or in what was previously a lake, so this is a first.”
And it may not be the last.
As the area undergoes drying, the lakebed in question has given up its moai. And this opportunity may occur again. “Under the dry conditions that we have now, we may find more,” Hunt said. “They’ve been hidden by the tall reeds that grow in the lakebed and prospecting with something that can detect what’s under the ground surface may tell us that there are in fact more moai in the lakebed sediments. When there’s one moai in the lake, there’s probably more.”
The newly discovered moai is also one of the smallest found, leading experts to believe that hidden within these reeds is the potential for a bounty of new moai.
Created by the Rapu Nui people, moai have a mythical legend attached to them and have gained worldwide renown for their appearances. Some believe these moai were given special powers to walk across land and end up in their resting place. Whether or not the legend has legs, there are many theories regarding how these statues moved from building sites to various locations.
While the largest of the statues weighs 86 tons and rises 32 feet tall, most of the moai average about half that size. About 95 percent are carved from the volcanic tuff, but a few are made from basalt. Each one is unique, created by carvers to represent the characteristics of the person it resembled, often a chieftain or key leader.
The finishing touch on moai was the inclusion of special stones for the eyes, not carved or placed until the statue found its home.
Even though experts thought they knew the locations of all of these moai homes, finding this new, small one in the lakebed proves some had remained a complete mystery.
“It’s here in the lake and nobody knows this exists,” Salvador Atan Hito, vice president of Ma’u Henua, the group that oversees the island’s national park, told Good Morning America, “even the ancestors, our grandparents don’t know [about] that one.”
