Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/americas/h...

The National Geographic team was searching for the legendary "White City" or "City of the Monkey God."

"In contrast to the nearby Maya, this vanished culture has been scarcely studied and it remains virtually unknown. Archaeologists don'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 can't be overestimated," ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin told National Geographic.