Ground-penetrating laser technology has facilitated the detection of upwards of 6,500 ancient Mesoamerican edifices, including a hitherto unrecognized Maya metropolis designated Valeriana, situated in Campeche, Mexico.
Detail of the major site of Valeriana in Campeche, Mexico. Image credit: Auld-Thomas et al., doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.148.
“Our scrutiny not only illuminated a region characterized by a high density of habitations but also unveiled considerable diversity,” remarked Luke Auld-Thomas, a doctoral candidate at Tulane University and an instructor at Northern Arizona University.
“We encountered not merely agrarian zones and more modest hamlets. A significant urban center, complete with substantial pyramid structures, was also identified in close proximity to the region’s sole arterial roadway, near a settlement where inhabitants have been actively cultivating land amidst the archaeological remnants for an extended period.”
“Neither the governmental authorities nor the scientific community had prior knowledge of its existence.”
“This discovery emphatically underscores the assertion that, indeed, our exploration is far from exhaustive, and a substantial volume of findings remains to be unearthed.”
Lidar instrumentation employs optical pulses to ascertain distances and to render three-dimensional representations of specified territories.
This capability has enabled researchers to conduct aerial surveys of extensive landmasses from the convenience of a computational environment, thereby identifying topographical anomalies that frequently correspond to monumental pyramids, residential dwellings, and other manifestations of Maya architectural achievement.
“Given that lidar permits us to map vast expanses with remarkable alacrity, coupled with exceptionally high resolution and granular detail, it prompted an astonished reaction: ‘Good heavens, there are countless structures we were unaware of; the population must have been immense’,” stated Auld-Thomas.
“The opposing perspective contended that lidar investigations remained excessively correlated with established, major sites, such as Tikal, thus perpetuating a skewed perception of the Maya lowlands.”
“What if the remainder of the Maya territory was predominantly agrarian, and our prior mapped regions represented an anomaly rather than the prevailing condition?”
The research team’s findings present persuasive substantiation of a Maya geographical tapestry that is more intricate and varied than previously conceptualized.
“Lidar is revealing to us that, mirroring numerous other ancient civilizations, the Maya inhabitants of the lowlands constructed a multifaceted array of towns and communities across their tropical environment,” commented Professor Marcello Canuto of Tulane University.
“While certain locales exhibit abundant agricultural expanses and concentrated populations, other areas comprise only diminutive settlements.”
“Nevertheless, we can now ascertain the extent to which the ancient Maya modified their surroundings to sustain a long-standing, sophisticated society.”
A scholarly publication detailing these revelations was disseminated on October 29, 2024, through the esteemed journal Antiquity.
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Luke Auld-Thomas et al. 2024. Running out of empty space: environmental lidar and the crowded ancient landscape of Campeche, Mexico. Antiquity 98 (401): 1340-1358; doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.148
