Hundreds of newly-discovered ancient ceremonial sites in Mexico reveal how the Mayans adopted a mysterious design trait from the older Olmec civilization more than 3,000 years ago, a study shows. Researchers have revealed that there are 478 ceremonial complexes that can't be seen with the human eye in modern-day southern Mexico, but can be detected with lidar scanning technology. The hundreds of ceremonial complexes are a combination of Maya and older Olmec sites, according to the study authors. Originating around 2600 BC, the Maya civilization thrived in Central America for nearly 3,000 years, reaching its height between AD 250 to 900. The Olmecs, meanwhile, were another Mesoamerican civilization who occupied the land earlier, from around 2,500 to 400 BC.