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Experts discover 3,000-year-old lost Mayan city

Uaxactun Ruins Getty Images

The new site was found close to the ancient Mayan city of Uaxactun in Guatemala, pictured here

Archaeologists say they have unearthed the remains of a 3,000-year-old Mayan city in the south American country of Guatemala.

Named "Los Abuelos," which translates from Spanish as "The Grandparents," researchers say it once stood around 13 miles from the important archaeological site of Uaxactun, in the north of the country.

The Mayan civilization began around 2000 BC, in what is present-day southern Mexico and Guatemala, as well as parts of Belize, El Salvador and Honduras.

Experts say Los Abuelos, which contains pyramids and monuments, point to its significance as an important ceremonial site.

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What did experts find?

Chichén-ItzáGetty Images

Chichén-Itzá in Mexico is one of the most famous Mayan sites in the world

The new site is dated to what is known as the "Middle Preclassic" period, which took place from about 800 to 500 BC.

It covers an area of around six square miles, and was discovered by Guatemalan and Slovak archaeologists in previously little-explored areas of the Uaxactun park.

According to Guatemala's government, Los Abuelos is believed to have been "one of the most ancient and important ceremonial centres" of the Mayan civilization in the jungle area of Peten near the Mexican border.

In a statement, it added that the site's pyramids and monuments are "sculpted with unique iconography from the region."

Nearby, experts found a 33-metre high pyramid ( longer than a swimming pool) with murals from the Preclassic period and also "a unique canal system," according to the statement.

Los Abuelos takes its name from two human-like sculptures of an "ancestral couple" which were found at the site.

Who were the Mayans?

Mayan warrior bas relief at Chichen Itza.Getty Images

The Maya first developed their civilisation in around 2000 BC.

They lived in a place called Mesoamerica, an area of land made up of Mexico and part of Central America.

They are known for amazing creations including the spectacular buildings they built, their art, folklore, legends and writing.

They also invented ground-breaking ideas which have helped shape the way we live our lives today.

For example, it's thought that the Maya invented the idea of  'zero'.

In around 1600 AD the Maya were conquered and destroyed by the Spanish invaders.

During the Maya civilisation, Britain went through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages, including Stonehenge, to Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor England.