Matarisvan
Matarisvan was the capital of Mars during its initial colonization by the Earth-Lunar Union and later during its initial independence under the Union of Mars. Unlike the Human colonization of Luna, the first phase of Mars' settlement was concentrated around the ice-water rich Planum Australe; Matarisvan was located at the centre of the colonial network and grew rapidly as its economic, immigrant, logistical, and political nexus. In 2371 CE, Matarisvan suffered significant damage during the Second Earth-Mars War; by the end of the next year, the city had lost the near-entirety of its civilian population and almost four-fifths of its structures were irreparably damaged. In the ensuing Martial Civil War, remnants of the original Martian government either disbanded or fled, leaving what was left of the city empty ruins by the end of the 24th century.
Matarisvan is the second-largest archaeological site on Mars by area in the contemporary day, with over 744 square kilometres of open-air excavations and reserves as of January 4023. The ruins receive over 4.5 million visitors annually, making them one of the more significant tourist attractions on the planet. The ruins are formally administered by Parks Mars, which reserves significant portions of the site for archaeological study and has only opened small portions to visitors. New excavations at the site are limited; the primary stance of Parks Mars towards the ruins has been dominated by a policy of preservation.
The findings at Matarisvan have provided an extensive overview of the economic, political, and social structure of Mars during its late nascence. Many of its residents lived in small atmodomes connected by a vast subterranean structure of residences, businesses, industries, and transportation networks. During the Martian Civil War, much of the surface-level features were destroyed, blocking entire underground districts and preserving them from looters and later environmental detriments. Artifacts, documents, and records were preserved in the archives beneath its civic and political centre, providing an especially large amount of information into the inner-workings of the First Union government and the city itself.
During its heyday in the colonial and First Union periods of Martian history, Matarisvan was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Mars. Its above-surface extent was dominated by atmodomes, with the largest of these domes located at the rough centre of the irregularly-shaped complex. The vast majority of the surface domes were no taller than six-storeys and often consisted of only a handful of residences with a central communal tower. These surface residences were the home of Matarisvan's large middle and upper classes. As the colonial centre of early Martian settlement, Matarisvan possessed some of its largest industrial and logistics facilities. These facilities and the city's structure were occupied and maintained by a large lower class which inhabited extensive underground apartment blocks and commercial zones. Due to a significant military and political presence, Matarisvan was one of the most developed and safest cities to live in on Mars in its prime.