Researchers Make Groundbreaking Discovery About Mayan Population [View all]

By Declan Gallagher Men's Journal
Updated August 15, 2025 5:28 AM

New research led by Tulane University and published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports has uncovered surprising information about the Mayan population.

Using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, researchers have completed one of the most comprehensive regional-scale analyses of the Maya settlement of all time. They determined that the Mayan population numbered 16 million people throughout what is now Guatemala, southern Mexico, and western Belize. The findings drastically recontextualize previous models and population estimates of the Maya settlement.

"We now have hard evidence that Maya society was highly structured across both cities and rural areas and far more advanced in resource and social organization than previously understood," said lead author Francisco Estrada-Belli, adding that "the ancient Maya never fail to amaze me."

Estrada-Belli continued: "We expected a modest increase in population estimates from our 2018 lidar analysis, but seeing a 45 percent jump was truly surprising. This new data confirms just how densely populated and socially organized the Maya Lowlands were at their peak."

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