( CNN ) Archaeologists searching for a lost city in the jungles of Honduras have discovered the urban remains of what they believe is a vanished ancient civilization , National Geographic reports . A writer and photographer for the magazine accompanied a team of scientists to Honduras ' Mosquitia region on the trail of a legendary `` White City '' or `` City of the Monkey God . '' The expedition was launched after aerial light detection scanning -- known as LIDAR -- uncovered what appeared to be man-made structures below the rainforest , National Geographic said . Seeking to confirm the discovery , a team of U.S. and Honduran archaeologists , a LIDAR engineer , an ethnobotanist , anthropologists and documentary filmmakers entered the remote region . They were protected by Honduran Special forces , the magazine said . Writer Douglas Preston said the team emerged February 25 , after documenting the ruins of a `` vanished culture . '' `` In contrast to the nearby Maya , this vanished culture has been scarcely studied and it remains virtually unknown . Archaeologists do n't even have a name for it , '' Douglas wrote . Archaeologists no longer believed in the existence of a single `` White City , '' he said , instead believing there had been an entire civilization with many cities . The expedition found earth works , including an earthen pyramid as well as a collection of stone sculptures , thought to potentially have been burial offerings . Archaeologist Oscar Neil Cruz from the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History ( IHAH ) estimated they dated from A.D. 1000 to 1400 , Douglas wrote . The researchers were greeted by wildlife which appeared never before to have seen humans , wandering unafraid through their camp . `` This is clearly the most undisturbed rain forest in Central America . The importance of this place ca n't be overestimated , '' ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin told National Geographic . The team left their finds unexcavated and are keeping the exact location of the site secret in an attempt to prevent looting . But in his article , Douglas warned that that the area was nonetheless under threat , with illegal logging for cattle farming within a dozen miles . IHAH director Virgilio Paredes Trapero told National Geographic that the forest and valley could disappear within eight years unless action was taken . `` The Honduran government is committed to protecting this area , but does n't have the money . We urgently need international support . ''
National Geographic has announced the discovery of a lost city in the remote Honduran rainforest . The magazine says scientists believe the city belonged to a mysterious ancient civilization . A team documented the site after aerial light scanning showed man-made structures .