Canadian teen may have located lost Mayan city

A Canadian teenager believes he may have discovered a lost Mayan city deep in the Mexican jungle using satellite imagery and ancient astronomy.

Fifteen-year-old William Gadoury, from Quebec, found that the Mayan cities lined up perfectly with the stars in their known constellations and then developed the theory that the Mayans chose the locations of towns and cities based on the stars, The Independent reports.

He then realised that one city was missing from a constellation of three stars.

Using satellite photos from the Canadian Space Agency and Google Earth he pinpointed where he thought the missing city should be.

And William appears to be onto something, with the satellite images showing very straight lines in the vegetation where the city should be, suggesting a manmade structure.

Daniel De Lisle, from the Canadian Space Agency, said the linear features in the area "stuck out".

"There are linear features that would suggest there is something underneath that big canopy," he said.

William has named the city K'aak Chi, or Mouth of Fire.

He will present his findings at Brazil’s International Science Fair next year.