The oral traditions of Native Americans are historical content that most academics refuse to reference, even in the face of startlingly accurate perceptions of early earth conditions and human occupation. This is most apparent from an anthropological perspective when we seek to understand the great antiquity of the Maya, one of the most misunderstood and thought-provoking cultures from Central America.

What little we do know about the early Maya comes from the Spanish, the few sacred books (codices) that were spared in the genocide, and recent decipherment of stela (standing stone markers.) Arriving in the New World seeking gold and new lands for the monarchy, the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors described the ruins of magnificent cities, strange observatories for scanning the heavens, and pyramid complexes abandoned years earlier. In their ignorance, the Catholic priests who made the cross-Atlantic journey murdered anyone who resisted religious conversion, and in what can only be described as acts against humanity, destroyed or burnt all references to the Mayan past, including codices, technical manuals, and volumes of scientific research perhaps thousands of years old.

The Magnificent Maya

Who were the Maya, a scientifically advanced civilization that seemed to have magically arrived in Central America? We now know the Maya are one of the earliest established people in the Americas, arriving thousands of years before the Aztec, Mixtec, Zapotec and other peoples. What we don’t know is how early they arrived, and from where.

Recent dating at El Mirador, home of the La Dante pyramid complex in Guatemala, the largest in the Americas, reveals a date of 2,700 BC. But there are a number of odd facts about the Maya which are curious to consider. In many of their large and well-designed cities, the earliest and most magnificent architecture is the most sophisticated. The largest pyramids using the heaviest quarried stones and complex engineering are the oldest. It’s as if the Maya arrived at each location, (Copan, Tikal, Chichen Itza, El Mirador) with thousands of years of science and engineering prowess already intact. Or did they inherit their skills?

Dr. Richard Hansen, noted archeologist and director of the El Mirador Basin Project, has studied the Maya for most of his adult life and has come to a number of critical conclusions which shed light on the antiquity of these fascinating people.

First and foremost, the Olmec were contemporaries of the Maya and not the mother culture we’ve been led to understand. Hansen also believes that the Maya may have been the ultimate demise of the Olmec. There is evidence that the Maya, through various military campaigns, destroyed their cities, most notably, La Venta.

Evidence of Central American Tsunamis and Ancient Floods

In a new geological study on surface features covering the Yucatan Peninsula, scientists have uncovered evidence of ancient tsunamis which passed inland as recently as 1,500 years ago and may have continually come inland thousands of years earlier. The destructive force of these 20-to-50-foot-tall (six to 15 meters tall) tidal waves was enough to topple buildings and drown anyone in their path.

During my first visit to Yucatan in 1995, I discovered evidence of water damage to buildings, statues and massive destruction throughout much of the peninsula. Today, this evidence is still apparent at most of the noted ruins, including Chichen Itza, Coba, Uxmal and smaller cities scattered across northern Yucatan. When you take a multidisciplinary scientific approach to Maya building and construction techniques, you discover a civilization that conceived and engineered entire cities with a high level of precision, similar to early Roman architectural design throughout Europe. American forensic engineer, Jim O’Kon has spent over 40 years uncovering the genius of Maya engineering and discovered that versatile cement, vaulted ceilings, and roads were all conceived to withstand the elements and last for centuries with a minimum of maintenance.

Column sculpture from the Merida Museum, Yucatan Mexico. Notice the heavy pitting and holes caused by erosion, likely caused from the corrosive action of sea water. (Photo: Cliff Dunning)

I was startled at the appearance of pyramids, ball-courts, and acropolises reduced to hills of stones, entire complexes buried underground, and buildings heavily damaged by the force of powerful waves and undercurrents. This is also evidenced in the early photos that were taken as Maya cities were excavated, consolidated, and reconstructed. Local museums are filled with artifacts and stone sculptures damaged by the corrosive action of salt water and the added pressure of being under huge volumes of water for long periods of time.

An example of the destructive force of water is apparent at Sayil, a beautiful city on the Gulf Coast of the Peninsula, about 115 kilometers (72 miles) south of Merida, the capital city of Yucatan. The main acropolis is highlighted by a large, ornately designed palace noted for its multi-tiered and columned Puuc style architecture. Standing at the entranceway, to the onlooker the palace appears to have undergone a horrific event—most likely, the powerful action of tsunami waves pounding the building with terrific force. Large volumes of building stones have been pushed down and lay scattered in piles across the top and sides of the architecture, leaving the building heavily damaged. The severity of this erosion is such that excavation teams have been unable to reconstruct large sections of the palace, and as noted, at most of the other neighboring cities, stones are left where there fell.

Sayil, Yucatan Mexico. Maya Elder Hunbatz Men points to a symbol for great age on the door frame of a building partially sunk in the ground. This area was deluged by flooding and perhaps tsunamis. (Photo: Cliff Dunning)

Sayil is a good example of how a river of receding water has left its mark. Early photos show the path of a river created by receding water as it flowed across the top of the palace in what can only be imagined as significant water movement. A short distance away, a number of buildings are partially buried in the ground (a curious state that archeologists seem to have missed.) Also striking are the images taken by early explorers (most notably Augustus Le Plongeon in the 1890s) of buildings with large quantities of stones and debris piled high around the main acropolis at Uxmal and Chichen Itza. As the water receded, heavy sediment and stones made their way into the interior and exterior of buildings where they laid to rest.

The remains of building complexes underwater on the Yucatan Peninsula. The corrosive action of salt water on limestone may have reduced these structures down to their foundations. (Image: Google Earth Pro. Google Earth, 2017)

Baylands off the coast of Campeche, Yucatan Mexico, show the remains of a Sacbe and partially hidden Maya ruin. (Photo courtesy of Angela Micol, Satellite Archeaology).

How ancient these Maya cities are is anyone’s guess— but new evidence now shows these people to be fantastically old. With the advent of powerful satellite imaging technology, we can follow the path of white roads known as Sacbes which run for miles in all directions.

Sacbes: the White Roads, and Clues to the Antiquity of the Maya

We now have good evidence for mega flooding up and down the West Coast of the United States following the Younger Dryas asteroid catastrophe approximately 10 – 12,000 years ago. Geologist Harken Bretz first described these massive mega-floods in the 1920s, which carved huge valleys and waterways in Washington State and northern Oregon, and which was later validated by geologists around the country. Catastrophist Randall Carlson believes there were similar mega-floods around the U.S. as a result of this impact, and the following increase in atmospheric temperatures. Climatologists have confirmed that Earth’s temperatures rose sharply following the impact, which melted large portions of the polar ice caps, resulting in a sharp rise in sea levels and floods.

These mega-floods destroyed everything in their path, including civilizations throughout the Americas. The Zuni, Lakota, and Maya describe this period in their history and the terrible conditions their ancestors endured following the deluge. Thankfully, by studying the path of sacbes and with the help of modern satellite technology we can discover what can be only described as near-terminating flood events which befell the inhabitants of the Americas.

First described by archaeologists in the 1920s as an engineering marvel, the sacbe is the equivalent to our modern highway, connecting cities for hundreds of miles, and ranging in size from 10 feet to up to 25 feet wide (three to 7.6 meters wide). Designed to withstand most elements, these white roads carried people and facilitated commerce, and have lasted for centuries with little or no maintenance. Composed of a rock substructure, mortar, retaining walls, and concrete as a paving surface, they crisscross most of the major Maya cities and are visible from planes and satellites.

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A Maya Sacbe, (white way or road) about 30 feet underwater. (Photo courtesy of Angela Micol, Satellite Archeaology.)

A group of Sacbes on land and passing into the ocean. Sacbes were designed to interlace with cities. Made from mortar and concrete and supported by retaining walls, their path has remained undisturbed for thousands of years. (Image: Google Earth Pro. Google Earth, 2017)

Using satellite imagery we can see that large portions of the Peninsula are now underwater and many of these roads run from the land into the ocean and disappear under the depths, or they follow a bee-line to the remains of ruined cities. Satellite Image Specialist Angela Micol, host of Satellite Archeology Research Society has uncovered hundreds of images of sacbes running deep underwater, just below the surface. New research is needed to seek out and confirm the actual size of these ocean-based ruins, but the evidence is clear; they lead to the remains of Maya cities that are likely to return dates of roughly 9,000 to 12,000 years old, and are evidence of advanced people who could have succumbed to the Younger Dryas catastrophe.

A Sacbe leads to Labna, a Maya city on the Yucatan Peninsula. (Photo: Mexique © Voyagevirtuel.info)

Notes for consideration: In a previous article, “ Atlantis Unearthed ”, I speculate on the remains of pyramid complexes and other buildings under the ocean near Bimini Island. I now believe there is a connection between the people that designed these buildings and the Yucatan Maya of present-day Mexico. This has profound ramifications for Earth’s ancient history, and as I’ve reported on my podcast Earth Ancients – this shows the Maya may have been a global people who influenced other cultures.

Cliff Dunning is an archeo-investigator, author, and host of the popular History podcast, Earth Ancients: Startling New Discoveries from our Planets Distant Past. | www.earthancients.com

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Top Image: The Palace at Sayil, a Maya city on the Gulf of Mexico side of the Yucatan Peninsula. Heavily damaged by ancient floods, complete reconstruction is impossible because of scattered stoneworks. (Photo: Cliff Dunning) Deriv.

By Cliff Dunning