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{{Maya civilization}} |
{{short description|Hypothetical archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization}} |
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| ⚫ | '''Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ''' (“Mouth of Fire”) is a hypothetical [[archaeological site]] of the [[pre-Columbian]] [[Maya civilization]], proposed by then 15-year old William Gadoury of [[Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec]] in 2016.<ref name=JdM>[http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2016/05/07/un-ado-decouvre-une-cite-maya "Un ado découvre une cité maya", 7 May 2016], ''[[Journal de Montreal]]''. Retrieved 10 May 2016 ('''French''')</ref> It is located in the state of [[Campeche]] in southern Mexico, in the extreme south of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]. The location was determined by overlaying Maya constellations with a map of the Yucatán Peninsula. |
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== Remote prediction == |
== Remote prediction == |
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The hypothetical discovery is based on analysis by the [[Canadian Space Agency]] of satellite data from [[NASA]], and from the Japanese Space Agency, [[JAXA]].<!-- Which satellites have been used? Any sources saying that the CSA did the analysis? --> The position of the site was |
The hypothetical discovery is based on analysis by the [[Canadian Space Agency]] of satellite data from [[NASA]], and from the Japanese Space Agency, [[JAXA]].<!-- Which satellites have been used? Any sources saying that the CSA did the analysis? --> The position of the site was posited by William Gadoury based on his theory that Maya site locations correlated with [[Maya astronomy|their astronomical data]] matching 117 known Maya sites with the positions of stars in 22 supposed [[Maya astronomy|"Maya constellations"]]. Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ lies at a location suggested by a supposed 23rd constellation (containing three stars) with only two known sites corresponding on the ground. However, the density of Maya cities in the region is such that the supposed alignment of Maya sites with the constellations has been attributed to coincidence.<ref name="Wired 100516">Zhang, Sarah ''[https://www.wired.com/2016/05/long-lost-mayan-city-teen-found-isnt-lost-city/ That long-lost Mayan city a teen found isn't lost...Or a city]'' ''Wired'' magazine online. 10 May 2016.</ref> |
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Gadoury reported that his study was sparked by reading the [[Mayan doomsday prophesies]] in 2012: |
Gadoury reported that his study was sparked by reading the [[Mayan doomsday prophesies]] in 2012: |
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{{blockquote|I did not understand why the Maya built their cities away from rivers, on marginal lands and in the mountains... They had to have another reason, and as they worshipped the stars, the idea came to me to verify my hypothesis... I was really surprised and excited when I realised that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities.<ref name="NZ Herald">{{cite news | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11636868 | title=Boy, 15, discovers long-lost ancient Mayan city using constellations and Google Earth | work=[[NZ Herald News]] | date=May 10, 2016 | agency=[[news.com.au]] | accessdate=May 11, 2016 | author=McMah, Lauren}}</ref>|William Gadoury}} |
{{blockquote|I did not understand why the Maya built their cities away from rivers, on marginal lands and in the mountains... They had to have another reason, and as they worshipped the stars, the idea came to me to verify my hypothesis... I was really surprised and excited when I realised that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities.<ref name="NZ Herald">{{cite news | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11636868 | title=Boy, 15, discovers long-lost ancient Mayan city using constellations and Google Earth | work=[[NZ Herald News]] | date=May 10, 2016 | agency=[[news.com.au]] | accessdate=May 11, 2016 | author=McMah, Lauren}}</ref>|William Gadoury}} |
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Satellite images were used to imply the existence of an ancient city with a large pyramid and about thirty buildings, and, if confirmed, it might be the fourth largest [[Maya city]] in existence.<ref name=Buzz>[https://uk.news.yahoo.com/quebec-teen-discovers-ancient-mayan-ruins-by-170620746.html "Quebec teen discovers ancient Mayan ruins by studying the stars" 9 may 2016], [[Daily Buzz]]. retrieved 10 May 2016</ref> Gadoury has already presented his findings to two Mexican archaeologists, who assured him he can join expeditions to the area.<ref name=Buzz/> |
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==Archeological exploration== |
==Archeological exploration== |
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Archaeologist [[Richard D. Hansen|Richard Hansen]] noted that the location is also very close to the Maya ruins of [[Uxul]], which have been the subject of archaeological investigation since 2009.<ref name="Wired 100516"/> Mexican archaeologist Rafael Cobos Palma pointed out that the area of the supposed discovery has been extensively explored by archaeologists since the 1930s, and was very close to various already-identified Maya sites in southern Campeche.<ref name="Verne">Cruz, Mónica; and Abril Mulato, [http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2016/05/10/mexico/1462838532_810585.html Las dudas de los expertos ante la ciudad maya 'descubierta' por un quinceañero canadiense] ''[[El País]]: Verne'' 10 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016. {{in lang|es}}</ref> |
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==Doubts cast on the find== |
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==Controversy== |
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| ⚫ | The [[Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia]] (INAH) (National Institute of Anthropology and History) in Mexico said it was not even “considering” the alleged find, since “there is no scientific basis for it”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/technology/mexico-casts-doubt-on-discovery-of-ancient-maya-city-by-canadian-teen/50000267-2923295|title=Mexico casts doubt on discovery of ancient Maya city by Canadian teen|website=Efe.com}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Mayanist [[David Stuart (Mayanist)|David Stuart]] cast doubt upon the discovery, describing it as an example of "[[junk science]]", and identified the object on satellite imagery as an old cornfield, or ''[[milpa]]''.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/canadian-teen-william-gadourys-discovery-of-mayan-city-debunked-as-junk-science-20160511-gosa26.html Canadian teen William Gadoury's discovery of 'Mayan city' debunked as junk science]''Sydney Morning Herald'' 11 May 2016.</ref> Mayanist Geoffrey Braswell of the [[University of California]] stated that the object is definitely not a [[Mesoamerican pyramids|Maya pyramid]], and identified the imagery as either an abandoned ''milpa'' or an active [[marijuana]] field.<ref>McCrum and Hamill [https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/lost-mayan-city-discovered-jungle-7952131 'Lost Mayan city' discovered in the jungle could be a WEED FARM, archaeologist claims] ''Daily Mirror'' 12 May 2016.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The [[Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia]] (INAH) (National Institute of Anthropology and History) in Mexico said it was not even “considering” the alleged find, since “there is no scientific basis for it”.<ref> |
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| ⚫ | In a response to the alleged discovery, anthropologist and astronomer [[Anthony Aveni]] stated that trying to correlate a direct correspondence between a star map and a large quantity of man-made features is "an act of creative imagination."<ref name="NG110516">Romey, Kristin [https://web.archive.org/web/20160511215500/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/20160511-Maya-Lost-City-Canadian-Teen-Discover-Constellations-Archaeology-Satellite-Stars-Gadoury/ Experts: Teen's 'Discovery' of Maya City is a Very Western Mistake: Why modern astronomical maps may not lead us to ancient sites.], ''National Geographic'' online, 11 May 2016</ref> Aveni has pointed out that there are several competing theories as to what the 13 Maya zodiacal constellations represent, and how they are arranged.<ref name="NG110516"/> |
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| ⚫ | Mayanist [[David Stuart (Mayanist)|David Stuart]] cast doubt upon the discovery, describing it as an example of "junk science", and identified the object on satellite imagery as an old cornfield, or ''[[milpa]]''.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/canadian-teen-william-gadourys-discovery-of-mayan-city-debunked-as-junk-science-20160511-gosa26.html Canadian teen William Gadoury's discovery of 'Mayan city' debunked as junk science]''Sydney Morning Herald'' 11 May 2016.</ref> Mayanist Geoffrey Braswell of the [[University of California]] stated that the object is definitely not a [[Mesoamerican pyramids|Maya pyramid]], and identified the imagery as either an abandoned ''milpa'' or an active [[marijuana]] field.<ref>McCrum and Hamill [ |
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| ⚫ | Mayanist [[Francisco Estrada-Belli]] has pointed out that even if a Maya site were to be located in the predicted place, it could be down to coincidence since there are likely to be hundreds of undiscovered Maya archaeological sites; he commented that the chances were very good of putting a finger anywhere on a map of the region and pinpointing a Maya site. He also offered an invitation for Gadoury to come to Mexico with him to look for Mayan sites.<ref name="NG110516"/> |
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| ⚫ | In a response to the alleged discovery, anthropologist and astronomer [[Anthony Aveni]] stated that trying to correlate a direct correspondence between a star map and a large quantity of man-made features is "an act of creative imagination."<ref name="NG110516"/> Aveni has pointed out that there are several competing theories as to what the 13 Maya zodiacal constellations represent, and |
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Armand LaRocque of the [[remote sensing]] laboratory of the [[University of New Brunswick]] is reported as saying while satellite imagery might indicate a pyramid and building, anomalies identified in the satellite imagery needed further study and were not definitely man-made.<ref name="NG110516"/> |
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| ⚫ | Mayanist Francisco Estrada-Belli has pointed out that even |
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Mayanist [[Nikolai Grube]] of the [[University of Bonn]], [[Germany]] who had worked in the area of concern for several years pointed out in an interview with the Spiegel-Magazin that the sites taken into consideration in Gadoury´s theory had been built several decades apart, which made the theory of a common planning of those sites improbable.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/archaeologie-15-jaehriger-will-versunkene-mayastadt-entdeckt-haben-a-1091767.html|title=Archäologie: Wie ein 15-Jähriger eine versunkene Mayastadt entdeckt haben will|last=Römer|first=Jörg|date=2016-05-11|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2019-04-26}}</ref> |
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During a reconnaissance trip into the [[Calakmul Biosphere Reserve|Calakmul Biosphere]] in the summer of 2021, Jerald Ek verified that there are no significant archaeological sites in the proposed location of Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ east of the Laguna La Amapola, including the location of the rectilinear feature identified in satellite imagery and adjacent topographic features. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Regarding astronomical constellation configurations: |
Regarding astronomical constellation configurations: |
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* [[Orion correlation theory]] |
* [[Orion correlation theory]] |
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* [[Thunderbird Entertainment#The Teenager and the Lost Mayan City]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Maya sites}} |
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{{Maya}} |
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[[Category:Maya sites]] |
[[Category:Maya sites]] |
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[[Category:Archaeological controversies]] |
[[Category:Archaeological controversies]] |
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Latest revision as of 18:39, 23 April 2024
Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ (“Mouth of Fire”) is a hypothetical archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, proposed by then 15-year old William Gadoury of Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec in 2016.[1] It is located in the state of Campeche in southern Mexico, in the extreme south of the Yucatán Peninsula. The location was determined by overlaying Maya constellations with a map of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The alleged site has caused controversy as Mayanist scholars have cast doubt upon the potential discovery. Field verification in summer of 2021 demonstrates that there is no archaeological site at this location.
Remote prediction
[edit]The hypothetical discovery is based on analysis by the Canadian Space Agency of satellite data from NASA, and from the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA. The position of the site was posited by William Gadoury based on his theory that Maya site locations correlated with their astronomical data matching 117 known Maya sites with the positions of stars in 22 supposed "Maya constellations". Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ lies at a location suggested by a supposed 23rd constellation (containing three stars) with only two known sites corresponding on the ground. However, the density of Maya cities in the region is such that the supposed alignment of Maya sites with the constellations has been attributed to coincidence.[2]
Gadoury reported that his study was sparked by reading the Mayan doomsday prophesies in 2012:
I did not understand why the Maya built their cities away from rivers, on marginal lands and in the mountains... They had to have another reason, and as they worshipped the stars, the idea came to me to verify my hypothesis... I was really surprised and excited when I realised that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities.[3]
— William Gadoury
Archeological exploration
[edit]Archaeologist Richard Hansen noted that the location is also very close to the Maya ruins of Uxul, which have been the subject of archaeological investigation since 2009.[2] Mexican archaeologist Rafael Cobos Palma pointed out that the area of the supposed discovery has been extensively explored by archaeologists since the 1930s, and was very close to various already-identified Maya sites in southern Campeche.[4]
Doubts cast on the find
[edit]The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) (National Institute of Anthropology and History) in Mexico said it was not even “considering” the alleged find, since “there is no scientific basis for it”.[5]
Mayanist David Stuart cast doubt upon the discovery, describing it as an example of "junk science", and identified the object on satellite imagery as an old cornfield, or milpa.[6] Mayanist Geoffrey Braswell of the University of California stated that the object is definitely not a Maya pyramid, and identified the imagery as either an abandoned milpa or an active marijuana field.[7]
In a response to the alleged discovery, anthropologist and astronomer Anthony Aveni stated that trying to correlate a direct correspondence between a star map and a large quantity of man-made features is "an act of creative imagination."[8] Aveni has pointed out that there are several competing theories as to what the 13 Maya zodiacal constellations represent, and how they are arranged.[8]
Mayanist Francisco Estrada-Belli has pointed out that even if a Maya site were to be located in the predicted place, it could be down to coincidence since there are likely to be hundreds of undiscovered Maya archaeological sites; he commented that the chances were very good of putting a finger anywhere on a map of the region and pinpointing a Maya site. He also offered an invitation for Gadoury to come to Mexico with him to look for Mayan sites.[8]
Armand LaRocque of the remote sensing laboratory of the University of New Brunswick is reported as saying while satellite imagery might indicate a pyramid and building, anomalies identified in the satellite imagery needed further study and were not definitely man-made.[8]
Mayanist Nikolai Grube of the University of Bonn, Germany who had worked in the area of concern for several years pointed out in an interview with the Spiegel-Magazin that the sites taken into consideration in Gadoury´s theory had been built several decades apart, which made the theory of a common planning of those sites improbable.[9]
During a reconnaissance trip into the Calakmul Biosphere in the summer of 2021, Jerald Ek verified that there are no significant archaeological sites in the proposed location of Kʼàakʼ Chiʼ east of the Laguna La Amapola, including the location of the rectilinear feature identified in satellite imagery and adjacent topographic features.
See also
[edit]Regarding astronomical constellation configurations:
References
[edit]- ^ "Un ado découvre une cité maya", 7 May 2016, Journal de Montreal. Retrieved 10 May 2016 (French)
- ^ a b Zhang, Sarah That long-lost Mayan city a teen found isn't lost...Or a city Wired magazine online. 10 May 2016.
- ^ McMah, Lauren (May 10, 2016). "Boy, 15, discovers long-lost ancient Mayan city using constellations and Google Earth". NZ Herald News. news.com.au. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
- ^ Cruz, Mónica; and Abril Mulato, Las dudas de los expertos ante la ciudad maya 'descubierta' por un quinceañero canadiense El País: Verne 10 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016. (in Spanish)
- ^ "Mexico casts doubt on discovery of ancient Maya city by Canadian teen". Efe.com.
- ^ Canadian teen William Gadoury's discovery of 'Mayan city' debunked as junk scienceSydney Morning Herald 11 May 2016.
- ^ McCrum and Hamill 'Lost Mayan city' discovered in the jungle could be a WEED FARM, archaeologist claims Daily Mirror 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Romey, Kristin Experts: Teen's 'Discovery' of Maya City is a Very Western Mistake: Why modern astronomical maps may not lead us to ancient sites., National Geographic online, 11 May 2016
- ^ Römer, Jörg (2016-05-11). "Archäologie: Wie ein 15-Jähriger eine versunkene Mayastadt entdeckt haben will". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 2019-04-26.