The city submerged in the lake of Guatemala for more than 2000 years

Have you ever imagined traveling and, while diving, finding a submerged city?

As you may know, over the years, our planet has changed a lot.

And before humans were as evolved as they are now – and before they caused all the influence that we have on our planet every day – these changes were almost always linked to natural activities, such as volcanoes, earthquakes and floods.

This means that there are hundreds of cities and towns that, despite having been home to many peoples in the distant past, are now submerged.

Although, in most cases, these floods occurred over many years, not every situation was like this.

Whether from seawater, rivers or even lakes, the action of water in these situations is usually relentless, making the only alternative for residents to flee and seek to settle in other locations.

With this in mind – and taking advantage of a recent discovery involving a submerged city over 2,000 years ago – we decided to create this material!

Throughout the content, you will learn more about how this discovery, so important for history, happened and what the next steps are in relation to this city!

Discover the incredible underwater city in the lake of Guatemala

Our story begins in Guatemala. Well, actually it is a new chapter in a story that began thousands of years ago.

The discovery in question is a submerged city found in a lake in Guatemala.

Found at the bottom of Lake Atitlán, the discovery is a Mayan city over 2,000 years old.

According to those responsible for exploring this discovery, the city was located right in the middle of the lake and, contrary to what one might imagine, had an excellent structure.

It has already been confirmed that the submerged city had houses, temples and even squares.

But after all, how could a city with all this structure be swallowed up by the waters and end up at the bottom of Lake Atitlán?

Theories about the sunken city

Although there is still no definitive answer as to why the Mayan city ended up at the bottom of the lake, scholars, researchers and scientists involved in the project to explore this site already have their theories.

Among them, the one that stands out the most is that the city submerged due to some kind of volcanic activity.

Remember we mentioned in the previous topic that the city was located in the middle of a lake.

That's right. Lake Atitlán is actually a volcanic crater formed thousands and thousands of years ago.

The San Pedro volcano was responsible for the activity that gave rise to the lake. 

Located at a considerable elevation – more than 1,500 meters above sea level – many scholars defend the theory that San Pedro was the main reason for the Mayan city being submerged in the lake.

And this theory is not that hard to imagine. After all, as everyone knows, a volcanic explosion usually brings consequences ranging from tremors to more serious situations.

Therefore, upon becoming active, San Pedro could very well have affected the city so seriously that it sank into the depths of Lake Atitlán.

And since we're talking about volcanoes, here on the site we also have special content about some of the worst volcanic eruptions. To read this content, just click here.

What was found in the sunken city of Guatemala?

I don't even need to say that the discovery of this city was a tremendous event, right?

After all, the Mayans had one of the richest cultures in the world. And this was proven once again in the findings from the city of Atitlán.

In the city – which is submerged between 12 and 20 meters deep – several items that were part of the city were found, such as ceramics and other Mayan artifacts.

According to archaeologists, the new submerged archaeological site preserves some historical items that are estimated to date from around 400 BC to 250 BC.

And one thing that is impressive is the conservation of some of them, despite being submerged for so many years.

The next steps involve using technology to better map the discovery without putting the structure – or anyone else – at risk.

Other underwater cities that have been discovered around the world

Despite being a super discovery, the submerged city of Guatemala is not the first and will not be the last underwater discovery made by man.

Remember that we mentioned at the beginning of the text that there are several other submerged cities that have been discovered throughout history?

In this topic, we will show you some of these cities so you can get to know them!

Pavlopetri, the oldest underwater city in the world

If you thought Guatemala City was ancient, this one will impress you even more!

Located in Vatika Bay, Greece, Pavlopetri is a city that was home to a society that lived around 5,000 years ago.

Among the discoveries made in the city, archaeologists found streets, courtyards, more than 10 buildings and even a cemetery.

Canopus, the sunken Egyptian city

Another very famous underwater city is near Alexandria, Egypt.

Even after the discovery, the site still houses several relics, such as ancient sanctuaries of Osiris and Serapis.

Some archaeologists believe that the city sank after a great flood that occurred on the Nile River.

Shicheng and its recent flood 

The third city on our list is a different case from the other cities.

Although the city – which is located in China – was built around 1,300 years ago, it was flooded very recently, in the last century.

Conclusion

What did you think of this trip through the world's underwater cities?

Knowing a little more about these cities makes us reflect on the future of humanity. 

With the advance of global warming, the tendency is that many cities will also be submerged in the not so distant future.

And that is, to say the least, quite worrying. 

Did you like this content? Then take the opportunity to read it too 5 underwater museums to visit around the world