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The discovery of Samabaj, in the south of Lake Atitlán, shows how the water level rose rapidly after volcanic eruptions and landslides around 100 AD, engulfing a ritual center used in the Late Pre-Classic period and revealing the fragility of ancient communities in the face of geological events.
Researchers from Universidad Francisco Marroquín mapped the submerged Maya village of Samabaj using multibeam sonar, according to a technical presentation by archaeologist Roberto T. Giesso, from UFM.
According to the IDAEH report presented in 2018, the bathymetric survey covered 70 kilometers of transects and identified 32 ceremonial platforms.
In addition, two main plazas were identified. The structures are at depths ranging from 12 to 20 meters.
Therefore, it is not an isolated find. Samabaj is a full-scale submerged Maya village, with truncated pyramids that reached ten meters in height.
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According to IDAEH, the site covers about one square kilometer of lakebed — equivalent to 140 soccer fields.
How sonar found the submerged Maya village
The first clue came from Tz’utujil fishermen. For generations, they reported unusual stone blocks on the bottom, noticed when their nets snagged on something hard.
However, the reports only gained scientific attention decades later. In 2017 and 2018, the UFM team brought a multibeam sonar mounted on a boat.
According to the equipment, hundreds of acoustic beams are sent downwards and the return time is measured. This way, it is possible to create a three-dimensional map of the lakebed.
Above the sediment, straight alignments, 90-degree angles, and regular platforms appeared.
Thus, shapes that cannot be explained by natural erosion were recorded.
Next, divers descended to confirm. With flashlights and cameras, they recorded carved blocks, altars, and ceramic fragments.
According to IDAEH, over 200 artifacts were recovered. On the other hand, visibility in Atitlán is treacherous.
Due to suspended sediment, divers see less than five meters ahead. Only about 10% of the site has been excavated to date.
What Samabaj was like before it sank
According to carbon-14 dating, the Maya occupation occurred in the Late Pre-Classic period, between 300 BC and 200 AD.
At that time, Samabaj was not at the bottom of anything. It was a peninsula, almost an island, on the southern shore of the lake, connected to the land by a narrow isthmus.
Thus, the function of the place appears to have been ritual, not residential. Furthermore, no common houses were found.
Only ceremonial platforms, stone altars, and causeways connecting one complex to another were recorded. For this reason, archaeologists suggest pilgrimage for neighboring communities.
Thus, when it sank, Samabaj did not take an entire population with it — but it did take a sacred space. The loss was symbolic before it was material.
• Period of occupation: 300 BC to 200 AD (Late Pre-Classic)
• Current depth: 12 to 20 meters, with an average near 17 meters
• Mapped area: approximately 1 km² on the lakebed
• Structures identified: 32 platforms and two main plazas
• Original height of pyramids: up to 10 meters before collapse
• Artifacts recovered by IDAEH: over 200 items
The rapid rise of the lake and the year 100 AD
The most impressive data is not the depth. It is the speed of the drowning
According to sedimentary studies published by the Geological Society of America Bulletin, the level of Atitlán rose about 17 meters in a short time, near 100 AD.
According to current consensus, the cause was a combination of nearby volcanic eruptions. Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro are active volcanoes in the basin.
Additionally, massive landslides blocked natural water outlets. As a result, the lake, which is closed and has no outflowing river, began to dam everything that entered.
In a few generations, the level rose the equivalent of a six-story building. Therefore, saying the site was “drowned” is more accurate than “abandoned.”
Those who lived in or frequented the area saw the water arrive, recede, and return to never leave again.
Samabaj was built on an island when the lake was 17 meters lower.
The level rose due to volcanism and landslides, drowning the community around 100 AD. Dr. Nicholas Dunning, geoarchaeologist at the University of Cincinnati.
Why the submerged Mayan village has not yet been fully excavated
Despite the international press impact, fieldwork practically stopped after 2021. However, the reason is prosaic: money and logistics.
According to the team, the 2018 expedition cost about US$ 250,000, funded by the National Geographic Society and the Arcus Foundation.
To map the remainder with the same technical depth, much larger sums would be needed. Furthermore, IDAEH prohibits the removal of artifacts.
Therefore, each analyzed piece must return to the bottom, which makes the work slow and expensive. Thus, most of the site remains untouched.
It is estimated that nine out of ten square meters have never been excavated in high resolution.
Other cases of drowned cities worldwide
Sites around the world follow a similar pattern. In Greece, the city of Pavlopetri is five thousand years old.
According to records, it was mapped by sonar in 1967 at a depth of only three meters — a fraction of what is seen in Atitlán.
On the other hand, in Mexico, cenotes like Sak Be hold Mayan structures submerged by the rising water table.
According to INAH, underwater tourism there already generates about US$ 10 million per year.
However, there are cases where initial sonar generated hype and geology explained most of it. Yonaguni, in Japan, was treated for years as a submerged pyramid.
Subsequently, scientists showed that the symmetry came from natural erosion in volcanic rock. Therefore, the caveat remains valid for Atitlán.
Social impact and what Guatemala stands to gain
According to UNESCO, the Atitlán basin is the territory of the Tz’utujil communities, with about 10,000 indigenous people.
According to INGUAT, the lake’s tourism received 500,000 visitors per year before the pandemic.
Thus, even a small increase via guided dives would mean additional employment for local guides.
Consequently, the underwater study gained urgency. Studies from the Geological Society of America Bulletin show that Atitlán continues to rise.
Between 2008 and 2010, the level advanced about three meters, flooding houses and boardwalks in San Pedro La Laguna.
Is Brazil, with so many cities on the edge of reservoirs, prepared for something similar?
On the other hand, a caveat is needed: not every archaeologist agrees that Samabaj was a “city.” However, the loss remains that of a sacred space.
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