00:00On the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula once stood the great Mayan city of Coba, and recently
00:08at that site this massive stone slab covered in 123 carved glyphs was found, each one providing
00:14more details about the mysterious lost civilization.
00:19Archaeologists say part of the slab recounts the founding of a town named Deer Mountain
00:22in the ancient Mayan language on May 12, 569 CE.
00:26Other glyphs describe the gods who founded Coba.
00:29Experts say the ancient city may have been built in 50 BCE and that it was inhabited
00:33by the Mayan people for more than 1,500 years.
00:37They also estimate that as many as 50,000 residents lived there.
00:41Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History has been excavating and restoring
00:45the site, which was only first discovered in the mid-1800s.
00:48The stone slab, which was only previously discovered earlier this year, is huge.
00:53It was found at the bottom of a pool and covers an area 118 square feet.
00:58The glyphs on the slab also indicate some of the city's rulers, many of whom took
01:02on the name of the god Ka'awil.
01:04Experts are still attempting to decipher the glyphs.
01:07However, first they are creating a highly detailed 3D reconstruction to preserve the
01:11rare artifact.
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