Lidar helps uncover lost Mayan city

A graduate student analyzing publicly available drone data in Mexico unexpectedly unveiled a vast ancient Mayan city hidden beneath a dense jungle in Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico. The findings, published in the academic journal Antiquity, reveal an extensive urban complex covering an area approximately one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C.

Luke Auld-Thomas, a Ph.D. candidate at Tulane University, stumbled upon this while browsing the internet, according to NBC News. The data, originally collected by a research group studying land-use patterns, was captured using UAV mapping technology and lidar. Auld-Thomas applied archaeological analysis methods to the survey data, leading to the identification of the ancient city.

Unraveling the mystery

The research team named the newly discovered city “Valeriana” after a nearby freshwater lagoon. This urban center consists of 6,674 structures, including pyramids reminiscent of those found at Chichén Itzá in Yucatan and Tikal in Guatemala. Valeriana likely housed between 30,000 and 50,000 inhabitants at its peak.

Researchers believe Valeriana flourished during the Classic Maya period (AD 250 to 900) and likely collapsed between 800 A.D. and 1,000 A.D. The city’s decline is attributed to a complex set of factors, with climate change playing a significant role. Marcello Canuto, an anthropology professor at Tulane University, explained that climate variability caused stresses and adaptations, leading to systemic unrest in densely populated areas.

Valeriana’s discovery highlights how surveys and lidar can be used in archaeological research. This newly adopted method uses laser pulses to penetrate forest canopies and capture detailed images of hidden landscapes. Canuto describes it as a form of “digital deforestation,” allowing researchers to uncover extensive, previously unseen layers of history in remote and inaccessible regions.