Recent research utilizing LiDAR technology has uncovered a vast network of Maya civilization ruins in the Campeche region of Mexico. This discovery, based on maps acquired over a decade ago, reveals thousands of previously hidden structures within a densely populated urban area.
A team of archaeologists identified 6,674 buildings, including pyramid-like structures similar to those found across Central America. Their findings were published in the journal Antiquity.
LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, has proven invaluable in the archaeology of Mesoamerican civilizations, often obscured by jungle growth. A previous mapping effort three years ago revealed around 500 sites across a 30,000-square-mile area in Mexico, indicating similar architectural patterns among urban centers.
The technology has the potential to reshape understanding of well-studied sites; for instance, a 2021 LiDAR survey at Guatemala's Tikal uncovered previously unknown complexes.
Despite its high costs, the current research team leveraged existing LiDAR data collected in 2013 for carbon monitoring in Mexican forests, avoiding the expense of new scans. Their analysis revealed a remarkable number of unknown structures in a relatively small area of 50 square miles (approximately 129 square kilometers).
Luke Auld-Thomas, lead author and archaeologist from Northern Arizona University, emphasized the diversity and density of the settlements uncovered. Not only were small rural communities identified, but also a major urban center adjacent to a principal road, alongside evidence of agricultural activities surrounding the ruins.
The study suggests that some architectural alignments date back to before 150 CE, indicating the existence of urban centers slightly prior to the Maya Classic Period (250-900 CE).
Auld-Thomas remarked, “Neither the government nor the scientific community was aware of the ancient cities. This underscores the message that we have not discovered everything, and there is still much to find.”
While LiDAR is effective for discovering ruins and hypothesizing urban layouts, it does not replace traditional fieldwork. Future investigations will focus on extensive fieldwork at the sites, as nearly 7,000 structures await exploration.