In 2023, a team of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania and the

Guatemalan government announced the discovery of a vast network of ancient Mayan 

roads and cities in the Petén region of Guatemala.  

The roads, which are up to 12 feet wide and 10 feet deep, are thought to have been built over 

a period of 1,000 years, from the 5th to the 15th centuries AD.  

The roads connected 417 cities, which were spread over an area of over 10,000 square miles. 

The discovery of the roads and cities is a major breakthrough in our understanding of the ancient Maya.  

It shows that the Maya were not just isolated city-states, 

but that they were part of a vast and interconnected network.