A comprehensive LiDAR survey conducted in the dense jungles of Guatemala’s Southern Petén has identified a previously unknown educational and astronomical complex. The site features a series of massive, concentric stone plazas that researchers believe served as large-scale celestial maps for training Maya navigators and calendrical priests.
The digital maps show that the structures are perfectly aligned with lunar and planetary cycles, suggesting the complex was used to synchronize the movements of trade caravans with seasonal astronomical events. This find challenges existing theories regarding the decentralization of Maya scientific learning and points toward a highly organized regional educational system that prioritized maritime and overland navigation.