Massive Ancient City Revealed
Under the forestry of southern Mexico, a massive archaeological spectacle has been uncovered, the ancient city named Valeriana. This newly discovered city, estimated to span a vast area comparable to Beijing, shows remarkable signs of being a political capital during the Classic Maya epoch. The city’s grand plazas, massive water reservoir, and stunning temple pyramids paint a vivid picture of a majestic kingdom that likely enamoured the Maya around 1,500 years ago.
The Unexpected Discovery
The southernmost region of Mexico known as the Maya Lowlands has always intrigued archaeologists. The area is shrouded in the vestiges of ancient civilizations, and Luke Auld-Thomas, an archaeologist from Tulane University in New Orleans, was one of many experts captivated. Scanning through data online, Auld-Thomas stumbled upon a dataset used by Nature Conservancy Mexico (TNC Mexico) for studying carbon intake and emissions. Intriguingly, TNC Mexico was scrutinizing an area with high archaeological potential.
Relying on his hunch, Auld-Thomas delved more into this data, eventually striking gold. Marcello Canuto, a Tulane anthropologist, said of Auld-Thomas’s discovery, “He hit the bullseye while blindfolded,” adding, “We weren’t expecting to find such a big site with such a small dataset.”
The Role of Lidar Technology
The remarkable revelation could be attributed to Lidar technology, utilized by TNC Mexico in their environmental assessment. Lidar, which involves emitting laser beams from aircraft to map the earth’s topography, was mainly used by TNC Mexico to estimate tree heights and canopy volumes. Although Lidar’s measurements of the forest floor had little value to TNC Mexico’s study, they unwittingly provided Auld-Thomas and his team with crucial data for archaeological exploration.
Re-Analyzing the Data
When Auld-Thomas and his colleagues reprocessed the Lidar data, they discovered the astounding details of Valeriana. The city seemed to have been densely populated, with structures beautifully arranged around curved, amphitheater-like residential patios. The inhabitants could have spent their leisure hours in a nearby lagoon or at the city’s playing court when not conducting rituals in the city’s pyramidal temples.
Valeriana’s Building Density
Valeriana was possibly thriving with over 400 structures for each square kilometer. This building density was over seven times that of most of the region surrounding it. Historically,only the massive Lowlands city of Calakmul, near the existing Mexico-Guatemala border, had a higher density, boasting nearly 770 buildings per square kilometer.
Implications of the Discovery
David Stuart, an anthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin, expressed enthusiasm about the recent findings. In his view, these discoveries not only reveal a previously unknown site but also shed light on the ways the ancient Maya settled in the region. Additionally, they add weight to the notion that the Maya Lowlands were not just populated beyond Calakmul, but also thrived during the Maya Classic period (250-900 AD).
Potential Future of Lidar and Archaeology
Thomas Garrison, another University of Texas archaeologist, regards Lidar as instrumental in unfolding the mysteries of the past. He believes that applications of Lidar data for archaeology, even when collected for other purposes, as in this case, significantly help. However, he also suggests further steps be taken to visit and excavate these settlements for an even better understanding of this fascinating ancient civilization.