As stated in the release, the researchers were mapping some of Guatemala when they stumbled across what they describe as a massive ancient Maya civilization.Large platforms and pyramids were also seen in several of the communities, which the experts say suggests that some of them served as centralized hubs for politics, work, and entertainment.From Chiapas and Yucatán, which are now in southern Mexico, to Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, the Mayans dominated a large portion of the northwest of Central America.More than 775 ancient Maya settlements are identified within the MCKB, and 189 more in the surrounding karstic ridge, which we condensed into 417 ancient cities, towns, and villages of at least six preliminary tiers based on surface area, volumetrics, and architectural configurations.Monumental architecture, consistent architectural formats, specific site boundaries, water management/collection facilities, and 177 km of elevated Preclassic causeways suggest labor investments that defy organizational capabilities of lesser polities and potentially portray the strategies of governance in the Preclassic period."