Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n
An archaeologist leading a machete-wielding team through the jungle to reveal ancient ruins\u2014it sounds like a movie. But that\u2019s what Marcello Canuto was doing during his 2022 field season in Guatemala\u2019s Pet\u00e9n region. The expedition was guided by a digital map that virtually peeled back rich foliage to reveal likely locations of Maya settlements.<\/p>\r\n
Canuto, who directs the Middle American Research Institute<\/a> (MARI) at Tulane University, has conducted research using airborne lidar data to map more than 60,000 ancient Maya structures in northern Guatemala<\/a>. Now \u00a0equipped with a GPS receiver showing the maps\u2014created with geographic information system (GIS) technology\u2014the team navigates the Maya Biosphere Reserve.<\/p>\r\n Prior to the summer field season, Canuto and his student, Luke Auld-Thomas, used GIS to analyze existing lidar and satellite imagery to determine the patterns of known Maya sites. They compiled layers of data and classified the terrain into landform types. Then using the advanced analytical capability of random forest regression in ArcGIS Pro, a map was developed of probable settlement sites where they didn't have lidar data. The mapping exercise made the most of the intelligence they gained from prior lidar data, without the time and expense of capturing more data.<\/p>\r\n \u201cI would never have risked the effort if I just had a hunch,\u201d Canuto said. The map informed his decision to lead the survey team to a site just eight kilometers from La Corona, where he\u2019s been working since 2008. The 10-hour round-trip trek paid off. There the team found a new site with several structure complexes. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an important site because there aren\u2019t many sites in this area,\u201d Canuto said.<\/p>\r\n According to Canuto, the GIS maps he took into the jungle using ArcGIS Field Maps<\/a> have revealed \u201ca level of complexity that we\u2019re just starting to recognize.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n The Maya civilization, a dominant society in Mesoamerica, left quite a legacy: a sophisticated writing and calendar system, imposing architectural structures including pyramids, and advanced agricultural methods. Canuto and his colleagues have been able to map not only the extent of the Maya footprint on the landscape but also the complexity of this ancient society.<\/p>\r\n Many large Maya cultural sites had been hiding in plain view. \u201cThey\u2019re so big they look like hills, but you can tell these massive platforms are aligned and humanmade,\u201d Canuto said. Archaeologists, such as Ivan \u0160prajc<\/a>, studying the structural patterns have realized a relationship between the platforms and the calendar. When the sun passes one corner in February, it\u2019s the start of the corn-growing cycle, and when it passes the other in October, it\u2019s time to harvest.<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe well-designed architecture along with their writing system informs us on their subsistence strategies, which in turn is related to political complexity and development,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cThey had a way of coordinating and managing time and people. It\u2019s all neatly tied together.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[625532,625462,625472,625482]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Canuto specializes in the Classic Period of Maya culture\u2014roughly 1,200 to 1,500 years ago\u2014an era of big temples and dynamic politics. At La Carona, he has been studying a pivotal shift in which a larger state gained control over a smaller one, using it as a base for expansion. Hieroglyphic texts have helped his team understand that there was a massive alliance and period of stability from 500 to 750 AD.<\/p>\r\n \u201cWe can start to think about the impact of politics and political systems on people\u2019s lives because of these texts,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cWe can relate the things in households to see if people were better off before or afterward.\u201d<\/p>\r\n And the history can be recorded as layers on a map for analysis across space and time to unlock further understanding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Data collected via lidar, or light detection and ranging, was layered onto a GIS map to show all structures in the region, even those covered by lush forest growth. A lidar sensor sends out billions of light pulses that bounce back to measure vegetation height across wide areas and ultimately detect the contour of the terrain.<\/p>\r\n \u201cBy looking at these data, we can recognize human-made elements such as buildings and therefore learn about where the ancient Maya lived,\u201d Canuto said.<\/p>\r\n Lidar data is further analyzed and modeled with GIS technology. Comparing the data against the architecture and characteristics of known sites reveals the most likely places of settlement long lost to human memory. The analysis becomes invaluable in learning more about how the Maya civilization lived as they spread across the area starting roughly 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe Classic Maya weren\u2019t conquered by Europeans,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cTheir settlements were abandoned long before and in some cases forgotten by those Maya groups who the Spaniards encountered when they first invaded this part of the world.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[625492,625512,625552,384841]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Canuto and his colleagues have been classifying Maya structures on their GIS maps, denoting the location of palaces and temples and where elite residents lived. The map marks ball courts where athletes played and audiences watched. There were markets, roads, highways, and causeways to connect settlements.<\/p>\r\n \u201cWhen you look at the landscape, you realize that the society was complex,\u201d Canuto said. \u201cWe\u2019re finding places where elites lived, where ceremonies may have taken place, and where the rulers and their courts worked. We\u2019re clarifying our understanding of it all.\u201d<\/p>\r\n The data-rich interactive maps are also used to ask and answer important questions.<\/p>\r\n \u201cDid the Maya develop expansive states, were they territorial, or were there a network of states?\u201d Canuto said.<\/p>\r\n Maya experts continue to ask these and other questions of the data. They have set out to create detailed maps that show all the dimensions of the society in a historical context.<\/p>\r\n Canuto pointed to the map to show and describe urban centers. \u201cYou see this area of Tikal and El Per\u00fa?\u201d Canuto said, pointing out an urban area. \u201cIt was a hub of activity. They didn\u2019t grow their own food in the center of those cities, and there\u2019s evidence of the movement of bulk goods. A good map tells you much of a society\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\nUnderstanding Architecture and Power Structures <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
Creating the Maya Map<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
Applying a Location Lens<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n