Laser technology helps archaeologists discover several ancient Maya sites without leaving their desk
Led by a University of Arizona professor, the team of archaeologists uncovered some of the oldest Mayan sites right from their desks.
Every job has its challenges. While some require mental strain in front of a computer, others demand strenuous physical labor. Archaeology is one such demanding field, involving hours of excavation under the scorching sun and analyzing ancient ruins. However, advanced imaging technology has made it easier for archaeologists to discover historic sites from the comfort of their desks. In 2015, light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR) led archaeologists to numerous Maya civilization sites in Guatemala, according to a news release from the University of Arizona.
Takeshi Inomata, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Arizona, found a way to uncover Mayan sites by acquiring an expensive LiDAR map from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Originally priced at $62,000, Inomata purchased the 2011 map at a reduced price with university grant money, according to the New York Times. The LiDAR map led Inomata and his team to the ancient Maya site of Ceibal in Guatemala. Using small planes equipped with LiDAR, they created a highly accurate, 3D topography of the region, identifying Maya pyramids, ceremonial centers, roads, water reservoirs, and other structures previously hard to discover.
"This kind of understanding was really unthinkable some years ago, and now suddenly we can have all this data. The scale is completely different," Inomata stated. While previous archaeological findings covered only eight kilometers of the site, uncovering less than 1000 structures, LiDAR data helped scale nearly 470 km and identified over 15000 ancient Mayan artifacts. "Looking at the LiDAR image, you can see the specific types of architecture—pyramids, long structures—and we know from our excavations what time period they're from. So just looking at the shape of the structures, we can see this network of communities and ceremonial centers from specific periods," the archaeologist explained.
After a successful archaeological mission at the Ceibal sites of Guatemala, the team proceeded to apply the technology to explore Mayan sites in Tabasco, Mexico. Thanks to the laser-emitting equipment that scanned the area through an airplane, the team discovered the oldest Mayan monument ever found. "This area is developed–it's not the jungle; people live there–but this site was not known because it is so flat and huge. It just looks like a natural landscape. But with LiDAR, it pops up as a very well-planned shape," Inomata said in the university's 2020 news release. Named Aguada Fénix, this site in Tabasco contained a Mayan monument measuring around 4,600 feet in length and 30 to 50 feet in height and has nine wide causeways.
By 2021, Inomata and his team were able to uncover nearly 500 ceremonial sites in Southern Mexico through LiDAR, according to a Facebook post by the UA School of Anthropology. They didn't have to meticulously walk the entire path because the laser technology did it for them. The team was looking forward to exploring residential areas around Aguada Fénix. Inomata's explanation of this technology can be found in a video shared by the University of Arizona's College of SBS on YouTube where he and his wife, Daniela Triadan—also an archaeologist, give a detailed brief of their research.
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