German born explorer, Teobert Maler, was the first one we know of who visited Cancuen after its abandonment in 800 A.D. Morley returned from Cancuen disappointed and stated that there were only snakes in Cancuen.
1915
Archaeologist Sylvanus Morley from the United States visited Cancuen with a group and found one of the three ball court markers. Because of the lack of pyramids in the area, Morley thought the place was worthless. He did not see the jungle covered palace only a hundred meters from the ball court marker.
Ball court marker found in 1915
1967
Students from Harvard University tried to solve the Cancuen mystery but they did not find anything interesting. They thought Cancuen was only a minor center.
1999
The mystery started opening up - Professor Arthur Demarest found the palace by mistake when he fell through vegetation into the most holy chamber of the king, with a snakes nest under his feet. The new research results reveal that there were no pyramids there, as the ancient Mayans held their religious ceremonies in caves inside karst tower hills, which functioned as their temples.
2005 - 2006
The treasures of Cancuen and the fascinating stories are presented for the first time in the world at the Didrichsen Museum of Art and Culture.
