The Maya’s Earliest Known Monument Rises at Aguada Fénix

In June 2020, archaeologists announced the identification of Aguada Fénix, a vast Preclassic ceremonial complex in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco near the border with Guatemala. The area is not jungle but settled ranchland, and the platform is so flat and so large that from the ground it looks like natural terrain. The team first noticed it in low-resolution airborne laser mapping, known as lidar, collected by the Mexican government, then confirmed it with high-resolution lidar flown in 2017. The surveys revealed 21 ceremonial centers in the area, and Aguada Fénix was by far the largest.

Excavations and radiocarbon dating showed that the platform is the oldest monumental construction yet found in the Maya area, and the largest ever built there before the Spanish arrived. Built directly over a natural bedrock elevation, the principal feature consists of an immense artificial platform measuring approximately 1,400 meters in length and 400 meters in width. Rising between 10 and 15 meters above the surrounding terrain, the rectangular mound features lateral square extensions that lend the complex a distinct cruciform layout oriented north to south.