A Mayan city has been discovered in a Mexican jungle. Archeologists have discovered vast, previously unknown Mayan ruins in Southeastern Mexico.

The ancient Mayan city was found deep in the jungle in Campeche, an area of southeastern Mexico.  It is believe to have been the capital or a seat of power 1,400 years ago.

The site has been named Chactún, "Red Stone," or "Piedra Grande". The hoards of ruins cover 54 acres. It is thought to have been a governmental capital between 600 and 900 A.D.

"It is one of the largest sites in the Central Lowlands, comparable in its extent and the magnitude of its buildings with Becan, Nadzcaan and El Palmar in Campeche," Slovenian researcher and expedition leader Ivan Šprajc, who led the exhibition, said.

Scores of other Mayan sites are in Campeche, including the famous ancient city of Calakmul, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. But the new area discovered may be the most significant to date.

At least three complexes have been identified at Chactún. Explorers have found pyramids, altars, monuments, plazas, and even ball courts.

The lost Mayan city was built during the golden age for Mayan cities, from about 250-900.

The name Chactún comes from an inscription found on a monument in the ruins of the lost Mayan city. It said that a king named K'inich B'ahlam "affixed the Red Stone (or Great Stone) in A.D. 751."

Some parts of the lost city, such as monuments and altars, may have been reused later, a highly unusual finding.

"These people may not have known the meaning of the monuments, as some of the stelae were found upside down, though they knew they were important and worshiped them, as ceramic offerings were found in front of some of the monuments," Esparza said in the release

A team with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History and Šprajc made the discovery of the ancient Mayan city.