WASHINGTON — Long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatan peninsula. Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,

Before the Mayans dominated the Yucatan Peninsula, their predecessors constructed a network of fishing canals dating back 4,000 years.

An extensive network of ancient fish traps, dating back 4,000 years, was discovered in the wetlands of Belize's Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. The findings, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, reveal that the semi-nomadic people who constructed this system may have laid the groundwork for the rise of the Maya civilization.

Archaeologists working in Central America have discovered a series of fishing-catching canals made by pre-Columbian Mayan predecessors thousands of years ago.

A pre-Mayan system of canals used to direct and catch fish was found in Belize, establishing “continuity” between the Mayans and a predecessor as they continued to use them. First believed to have been a Mayan construction,