Tulane researchers help discover vast network of Mayan cities in the Guatemalan jungle

Updated 3:35 PM; Posted 3:34 PM



LiDAR laser technology yielded a remarkable discovery in Guatemala's forest: ancient
cities with more than 60,000 structures. Two Tulane researchers, Marcello A. Canuto
and Francisco Estrada-Belli, are part of the project, which will be featured on the National
Geographic Channel. (Image courtesy of Luke Auld-Thomas and Marcello A. Canuto)


By Maria Clark
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

A team of Tulane University archaeologists and an international group of researchers have uncovered a network of thousands of ancient Mayan structures previously hidden for centuries under the thick canopy of the northern Guatemalan jungle.

Using a technology called LiDAR (light detection and range technology) the team which includes Marcello A. Canuto, the director of Tulane University's Middle American Research Institute, and Francisco Estrada-Belli, a research assistant professor and director of the Holmul Archaeological Project, has uncovered more than 60,000 ancient structures covering 1,305 square miles.

The technology uses sensors to pierce through the thick forest canopy to create high-resolution maps that reveal man-made structures hidden under thick vegetation.

For example, the sensors revealed a 90-foot-tall pyramid once thought to be a hill at Tikal, one of the most thoroughly investigated of all Mayan cities.

More:
http://www.nola.com/science/index.ssf/2018/02/tulane_researchers_help_discov.html













Tikal LIDAR images:

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