From A Warrior Statue In Kyrgyzstan To A Maya City In Mexico, These Are The Most Significant Historical Discoveries Of 2022

Published December 30, 2022
Updated March 12, 2024

Workers On A Mexican Rail Project Stumble Upon An Ancient Maya City

Maya Train Project

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Maya Train project has churned up archaeological discoveries as well as the ire of environmental activists.

The $8 billion Maya Train project began in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula as a way to connect historical sites in the area and expose tourists to more of the country. But it also helped uncover an ancient Maya city.

The site, located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum and dubbed “Paamul II,” contains more than 300 buildings, some of which are over 26 feet tall.

The ancient Maya city is certainly an exciting find, but it’s not the only thing that’s been unearthed during the construction of the railroad. In addition, over 25,000 so-called “immovable assets” have been found. These assets include ancient roads, ceramic pots, and human bones.

That said, this exciting history news story came with a caveat. Many environmental activists are furious about the construction of the railroad, which they argue will destroy flora and fauna in the area.

“It’s very concerning that we are not aware of the environmental impact studies because we don’t know the viability of a project in an ecosystem that is tremendously fragile,” said Laura Patiño Esquivel, the president of the environmental group Moce Yax Cuxtal.

For now, however, it seems that the project will go on. Perhaps the railroad construction will expose even more archaeological finds along the way.


After looking through these history news stories from 2022, enjoy these colorized photos that bring the past to life. Then, learn something new today with these 77 amazing facts.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a dual degree in American History and French.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "From A Warrior Statue In Kyrgyzstan To A Maya City In Mexico, These Are The Most Significant Historical Discoveries Of 2022." AllThatsInteresting.com, December 30, 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-news-2022. Accessed March 15, 2025.