Archaeologists discover long-lost ancient city in Honduras

Archaeologists have discovered what they believe is a long-lost ancient city — and the find is so legendary, they won't even reveal its location.

Archaeologists from the U.S. and Honduras set out to find the rumored "City of the Monkey God," about which little is known to history. They found an earthen pyramid, stone sculptures, and a map of plazas — but they won't unveil the site's location, to protect the finds from looters. The archaeologists left the 52 artifacts unexcavated, National Geographic reports.

Christopher Fisher, an archaeologist from Colorado State University who was part of the exhibition, told National Geographic the site's well-preserved condition was "incredibly rare." He noted that the stone sculptures were likely an offering, since they were found at the bottom of the pyramid. Fisher and the team also believe there are a number of artifacts still waiting to be discovered below ground at the site.

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According to Fisher, the "most striking object" in the collection is the head of a "were-jaguar," which dates to between 1,000 and 1,400 C.E., National Geographic notes.

Ruins of a so-called "lost city" were first identified in 2012, but National Geographic notes that archaeologists "no longer believe in" the notion of one lost city, as legend had described. Rather, they believe there are many sites of "lost cities" that are part of an entire lost civilization, which National Geographic says is "far more important."