Samabaj: The Mayan Ruins Hidden Beneath Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the Central American nation of Guatemala. It is undoubtedly one of the most stunning lakes in the world.

But, beneath the undulating ripples of the lake’s surface, there’s actually a lost Mayan city.

In 1994, Roberto Samayoa and his crew found a piece of pottery on the floor of Lake Atitlan that appeared to date back centuries.

This gave Samayoa the indication that this piece of pottery might possibly come from a sunken city.

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After that, he and his crew spent the greater part of the next two years searching for this lost city until, finally, in 1996, they came across the ruins of Samabaj.

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The city rests about 20 meters below the water, meaning that the dive was not a particularly difficult one.

[{"selector":"#anim-58deb253-a1c8-4e4f-be17-7ebb02274e60","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ceb45832-a082-4661-be32-793e80969ff2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(94.54545%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

The structures that remain at the site, despite having been submerged for over 1,700 years, remain mostly unchanged.

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Samabaj: The Mayan Ruins Hidden Beneath Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the Central American nation of Guatemala. It is undoubtedly one of the most stunning lakes in the world.

But, beneath the undulating ripples of the lake’s surface, there’s actually a lost Mayan city.

In 1994, Roberto Samayoa and his crew found a piece of pottery on the floor of Lake Atitlan that appeared to date back centuries.

The Discovery of Samabaj

This gave Samayoa the indication that this piece of pottery might possibly come from a sunken city.

After that, he and his crew spent the greater part of the next two years searching for this lost city until, finally, in 1996, they came across the ruins of Samabaj.

The city rests about 20 meters below the water, meaning that the dive was not a particularly difficult one.

The structures that remain at the site, despite having been submerged for over 1,700 years, remain mostly unchanged.

What Does Samabaj Look Like?

Swipe up to read the full post!

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