Although CNN has chosen to report this ‘discovery’ as something that has happened recently, the discovery of this pyramid is not recent news. According to this Wikipedia entry for El Mirador:
Discovery
El Mirador was first discovered in 1926, and was photographed from the air in 1930, but the remote site deep in the jungle had little more attention paid to it until Ian Graham spent some time there making the first map of the area in 1962.[citation needed] A detailed investigation was begun in 1978 with an archaeological project under the direction of Dr. Bruce Dahlin (Catholic University of America) and Dr. Ray Matheny (Brigham Young University). Dahlin’s work focused primarily on the bajo swamps and mapping, while Matheny’s team focused primarily on excavations in the site center and architecture. This project ended in 1983. To the surprise of the archaeologists, it was found that a large amount of construction was not contemporary with the large Maya classic cities in the area, like Tikal and Uaxactun, but rather from centuries earlier in the Pre-Classic era[citation needed] (see: Mesoamerican chronology).
In 2003, Dr. Richard D. Hansen, a Senior Scientist from Idaho State University, initiated major investigation, stabilization, and conservation programs at El Mirador with a multi-disciplinary approach, including staff and technical personnel from 52 universities and research institutions from throughout the world. By August 2008, the team had published 168 scientific papers,[citation needed] and produced 474 technical reports and scientific presentations as well as documentary films in the History Channel, National Geographic, the Learning Channel, BBC, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, 60 Minutes (Australia), and the Discovery Channel.
Also, from Mirador Basin FOUNDATION FOR ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (FARES) website:
Richard D. Hansen, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard D. Hansen is a specialist on the early Maya and is the Director of the Mirador Basin Project in northern Guatemala. He is currently Affiliate Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Idaho State University. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES), a non-profit scientific research institution, based in Idaho. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA in January 1992. He previously held a double major B.S. degree in Spanish and Archaeology from Brigham Young University in 1978, and a M.S. degree in Anthropology in 1984. While a Ph.D. student at UCLA, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Graduate Fellow and a Jacob Javits Fellow from all college and university students throughout the nation in the arts, humanities, and social sciences for five years. He was named the UCLA Distinguished Scholar in 1988, a Fulbright Scholar in 1990, the UCLA Outstanding Graduate Student in 1991, and the UCLA Chancellor’s Marshall in 1992. He was awarded the National Order of the Cultural Patrimony of Guatemala by Guatemalan President Oscar Berger in the National Palace of Guatemala in December 2005. He has published 83 papers and book chapters in scientific and popular publications and has presented more than 168 professional papers in scientific symposia throughout the world. He has conducted and/or directed archaeological research in Israel, the U.S. Great Basin, the U.S. Southwest, and Central America.
It seems to me as though CNN may have decided to use selective wording throughout their reporting in order to help the marketing campaign for the new 2012 movie….but, that’s just my opinion. Below you will find more information on the Popul Vuh and other interesting topics discussed in the CNN report…
From Wikipedia:
Popol Vuh (Popol Wu’uj in modern K’iche’ spelling; IPA: [popol wuʔuχ]) is a corpus of mythological narratives and regnal genealogies of the Post-Classic Quiché kingdom in Guatemala highlands. The title translates as “Book of the Community”, “Book of Counsel”, or more literally as “Book of the Mat”.[1] A large part of Popol Vuh’s significance is that there are very few early accounts of Mesoamerican mythologies, and the fortuitous suvival of Popol Vuh is attributable to a 17th century Dominican friar. Popol Vuh contains a diluvian creation myth followed by tales of the two Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanqué.[2] The mythistory concludes with details of the foundation and history of the Quiché kingdom, and ties the royal family with the legendary gods as an assertion of divine right rulership.
From the college course website of University of Texas Department of Anthropology professor Brian Stross:
Popol Vuh - narrative about the origins, traditions and history of the
Quiché (K’iche’) Maya nation told by an anonymous Guatemalan Indian who produced
the document between 1554 and l558.
In Chichicastenango around l7OO, a priest, Francisco Ximenez copied the manuscript, adding a
Spanish translation.
Now there are several (perhaps many) translations of the Popol Vuh, including Goetz and
Morley’s English translation of Recinos’ Spanish version, Munro Edmonson’s scholarly
translation which reproduces typescript of the original Quiché (K’iche’), Dennis Tedlock’s
translation done with the help of a Quiche shaman (which is nicely annotated and footnoted,
but which lacks any reproduction of the Quiché. A Native speaker of K’iche’ ( Chavez ) has
also provided a translation into Spanish, and Allen Christenson has perhaps the most recent
translation (2000).
(You can find more information at professor Brian Stross’ website I provided.)
From The Daily Mail (UK):
Archaeologists uncover stunning Mayan carvings of cosmic monsters, hidden in the jungle for 2,000 years
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:20 AM on 14th March 2009
The El Mirador basin was deserted much earlier with the large urban population leaving a complex network of roads and waterways and a massive pyramid now covered under thick vegetation.
From GlobalHeritageFund.org :
Excavations on the summit of the Tigre pyramid continued during the 2008 season with major work on the upper platform, façade of the principal structure, and continued stabilization and consolidation of the northern triadic building. Excavation of the south facade of northern building Structure 4D3-2 was supervised by Licda. Monica Pellecer. The façade of this building was heavily damaged and has proven to be a very difficult excavation, but due to its importance and prominence, it will remain under investigation until we identify the largest possible amount of architectural features and provide necessary stabilization and consolidation. A rail system was also placed up the north side of the structure to facilitate transport of stone and mortars to the summit of the structure.
