Oldest and biggest Maya temple was built to depict the cosmos

Cruciforms, or cross shapes, played an important role in the Maya monument's design in southeastern Mexico. Middle Usumacinta Archaeological Project

Spotted from an airplane by remote sensing equipment, a vast and ancient Maya complex was hidden from view for millennia by forest and fields before it was made public in 2020. Five years on, archaeologists are spilling more of the monumental structure’s secrets.

The artificial plateau made from earth, with connecting causeways, canals and corridors, was built in southeastern Mexico 3,050 years ago and used for around 300 years. Called Aguada Fénix, it forms the oldest and largest architectural site in the area occupied by the ancient Maya civilization — bigger than later Mesoamerican cities such as Tikal and Teotihuacán although wit