Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered an ancient civilization that may have held as many buildings as modern-day Manhattan.

Roughly half an hour’s drive from the city of Morelia, west of Mexico City, the city is believed to have been built around the year 900 A.D. by a group of people known as the Purépecha, rivals to the more well known Aztecs. Researchers also discovered that the settlement was built on top of ground that was covered by a lava flow from thousands of years ago.

Using groundbreaking technology, known as lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning, archeologists were able to map out the footprint of the city, which spanned roughly 16 square miles. The images showed distinct neighborhoods, and structural outlines covering almost the entire area, known as Angamuco.

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