Monumental Maya Cosmogram Found at Aguada Fénix — A Landscape Map of the Cosmos (c. 900 B.C.E.)

Monumental Maya Cosmogram Discovered at Aguada Fénix

Archaeologists led by Takeshi Inomata have uncovered a vast, cross-shaped ritual deposit beneath the plaza of Aguada Fénix, one of the largest known early Maya constructions. First located with lidar in 2017 and excavated between 2020 and 2024, the feature includes colored pigments and ritual offerings aligned with the four cardinal directions and linked to a network of giant canals. The team interprets the ensemble as a cosmogram — a landscape-scale map of the cosmos used for communal ritual.

Discovery and Context

Aguada Fénix, spanning roughly 9 by 7.5 kilometers in the jungle of southern Mexico, dates to about 1000–800 B.C.E. Radiocarbon dating places the ritual deposit beneath the plaza at around 900 B.C.E., well before the emergence of the hierarchical Classic Maya polities traditionally thought to organize large-scale construction projects.

What the Excavation Revealed

At the center of a rectangular plateau and an E Group ceremonial plaza, excavators found a cruciform pit filled with distinct deposits: blue azurite in the north, green malachite in the east, yellow ochre in the south, and marine shells plus axe-shaped clay offerings in the west. Above and radiating from this cross are raised causeways, carved corridors and canals aligned precisely on north–south and east–west axes; a dam and westward canal also appear to connect to a nearby lake.

Interpretation: Cosmogram and Communal Ritual

Inomata and colleagues interpret the cross and its radiating canals as a cosmogram — a deliberate, monumental mapping of the universe into the landscape that anchored collective ritual practice. Because the canals show little evidence of practical irrigation or transport function, and because excavations revealed no palaces, royal tombs, or elite residential compounds, the team argues Aguada Fénix likely served as a seasonal gathering place where dispersed communities assembled for rituals, feasts and performances.

"Religion was very important and motivated people to do this huge work," says Takeshi Inomata (University of Arizona).

Scholarly Response

Independent archaeologists view the evidence as strong. Oswaldo Chinchilla (Yale University) notes that while the term cosmogram has been applied unevenly in the past, Aguada Fénix presents multiple converging indicators — pigments, cardinal alignment and E Group architecture — that tie the feature to Mesoamerican cosmology. David Stuart (University of Texas at Austin) suggests the buried deposits acted as a metaphorical planting that "activated" the plaza as a cosmic stage for community rituals.

Significance

These findings challenge the long-held assumption that monumental architecture in the Maya region required centralized, elite-driven labor organization. Instead, Aguada Fénix provides strong evidence that large-scale, coordinated communal efforts — motivated by shared religious and ceremonial objectives — could produce monumental landscape modifications centuries before stratified political hierarchies became widespread.

Publication: The research was published in Science Advances. Fieldwork combined lidar survey with targeted excavations and radiocarbon dating to build the interpretation.