A royal palace and the remains of an ancient Maya city--one of the richest yet known--were recently found deep in a neglected part of a Guatemalan rain forest, scientists announced Thursday.
The site, called Cancuen, has been known for a century but was generally dismissed as a place of little interest.
Now Vanderbilt University archeologist Arthur Demarest says an enormous three-story palace showing signs of extraordinary riches is hidden within a tree-covered mound of rock, debris and dirt. Even the common people in the surrounding city bore elaborate decorations, such as jade dental inlays.
