The cities, which were found in the state of Campeche, Yucatan peninsula, remained undiscovered for centuries as they were cloaked in dense vegetation, appearing as nothing more than mounds of grass and trees to the untrained eye. Archaeologists working in Central America know all too well what usually lies beneath these grassy humps, but this particular site had been largely inaccessible for many years and thus remained untouched.

According to expedition leader Ivan Sprajc, the team located the cities with the assistance of aerial photographs, Discovery News reports. The site is actually close to another Maya city called Chactun that was also discovered by Sprajc back in 2013. The area hosting these ancient ruins is massive, some 1800 square miles, stretching between the Rio Bec and Chenes regions.