UPDATE: A lot of scientists have expressed their skepticism that Gadoury really uncovered anything of any real significance.
A teenager in Quebec recently noticed something that no one had ever noticed before.
William Gadoury, 15, had been looking over some ancient star maps and maps of Mayan cities in his small Canadian hometown of Saint-Jean-de-Matha—normal teen stuff—and discovered something interesting. Mayan cities, which were dotted seemingly randomly across the Central American landscape, were not positioned randomly at all. They lined up with certain star constellations, Gadoury told the Le Journal de Montréal.
In all, Gadoury was able to link 22 constellations with 117 Mayan cities, according to the Independent. But a 23rd constellation presented a puzzle. Two of the stars lined up with known cities, but a third didn’t, instead pointing to a remote area on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
With the help of Google Maps and the Canadian Space Agency, Gadoury uncovered what appears to be evidence of human activity at the site, specifically a square-like structure underneath the growth:
“There are linear features that would suggest there is something underneath that big canopy,” a space agency official told the Independent. ”There are enough items to suggest it could be a manmade structure.”
What’s next? Gadoury has already been in touch with Mexican archaeologists about exploring the lost city he discovered. He has named it K’aak Chi, which means Mouth of Fire.