Archaeologists find lost city Ciudad Blanca, the ‘White City’ or ‘City of the Monkey God’ in Honduras

A MYSTERIOUS culture. A lost city. Archaeologists don’t even have a name for the people of the monkey god. But their legacy has just been discovered deep in a rainforest.

A member of a folk group performs wearing a Maya mask in Tikal archaeological site in Peten departament 560 km north of Guatemala city on December 20, 2012. Ceremonies will be held here to celebrate the end of the Mayan cycle known as Bak'tun 13 and the start of the new Maya Era on December 21. AFP PHOTO/Hector RETAMAL

A MYSTERIOUS culture. A lost city. Archaeologists don’t even have a name for the people of the monkey god. But their legacy has just been discovered deep in a Honduran rainforest.

An aerial radar search for the site was prompted in 2012 by persistent local legends of a “White City” (Ciudad Blanca), or “City of the Monkey God” — an Eden-like refuge from which nobody returned.

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Many such legends prove baseless. But in this case, advanced search techniques managed to penetrate the dense rainforest to detect distinctly geometric shapes on the banks of a significant river.

Now an expedition by Colorado State University to Honduras is producing evidence of an ancient lost culture amid the remote tangle of vines and trees.

Penetrating ... An aerial survey found geometric structures in a remote, craterlike formation of mountains in Honduras. Source: Supplied

The expedition has surveyed the ruins. They’ve mapped plazas, mounds and pyramids.

Most significantly, an cache of stone sculptures has found — untouched since the site was abandoned up to 1000 years ago.

Ceremonial seats. Carved vessels. Stylised creatures.

All are richly adorned with stylised snakes and vultures.

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Significantly, some capture a blend of human and animal features suggesting a transformation between the two states. It’s a theme commonly attributed to Central American shamans (priest-magicians).

National Geographic reports Christopher Fisher, leader of the expedition, as saying the stash of 52 artefacts may have been an offering — but its significance is uncertain.

Hot work ... Archaeologist examine a separate site in the heavily jungled Central Americas. Source: Supplied

“The undisturbed context is unique,” he said, “this is a powerful ritual display, to take wealth objects like this out of circulation.”

Fisher says the most striking object was that of a “were-jaguar”, with its helmeted, zoomorphic (combined human and animal) features. It may have been associated with a ritualised-warfare ballgame which was a common part of Central American culture at that time, he said.

The cache has been documented, but left unexcavated.

The exact location of the find is being kept secret to protect it from looters.

Ancient origins ... Honduras Maya Chorti and Guatemala’s Quirigua vie for the ball in Copan Ruinas. The ancient Mayan ball game is part of celebrations celebrating their ancient heritage. Source: AFP