Boots on the Ground at Yaxnohcah

Reese-Taylor, Kathryn; Hernández, Armando Anaya; Esquivel, F. C. Atasta Flores; Monteleone, Kelly; Uriarte, Alejandro; Carr, Christopher; Acuña, Helga Geovannini; Fernández-Diaz, Juan Carlos; Peuramaki‐Brown, Meaghan M.; Dunning, Nicholas P.

doi:10.7183/2326-3768.4.3.314

Cited by 39 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…For nearly a century, remote sensing has been used for archaeological prospection to locate otherwise hidden features and better understand past human-landscape interactions. While advances in higher quality and more easily accessible remote-sensing data have drastically increased our ability to conduct archaeological prospection [1][2][3][4][5], they also highlight how landscapes, vegetation, and visualization tools directly impact our ability to detect small archaeological features [6][7][8][9][10]. Particularly in the past two decades, novel technologies such as Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) revolutionized the use of remote sensing for archaeological prospection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Classic Maya Settlements with Lidar-Derived Relief Visualizations

Thompson

2020

Remote Sensing

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In the past decade, Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) has fundamentally changed our ability to remotely detect archaeological features and deepen our understanding of past human-environment interactions, settlement systems, agricultural practices, and monumental constructions. Across archaeological contexts, lidar relief visualization techniques test how local environments impact archaeological prospection. This study used a 132 km2 lidar dataset to assess three relief visualization techniques—sky-view factor (SVF), topographic position index (TPI), and simple local relief model (SLRM)—and object-based image analysis (OBIA) on a slope model for the non-automated visual detection of small hinterland Classic (250–800 CE) Maya settlements near the polities of Uxbenká and Ix Kuku’il in Southern Belize. Pedestrian survey in the study area identified 315 plazuelas across a 35 km2 area; the remaining 90 km2 in the lidar dataset is yet to be surveyed. The previously surveyed plazuelas were compared to the plazuelas visually identified on the TPI and SLRM. In total, an additional 563 new possible plazuelas were visually identified across the lidar dataset, using TPI and SLRM. Larger plazuelas, and especially plazuelas located in disturbed environments, are often more likely to be detected in a visual assessment of the TPI and SLRM. These findings emphasize the extent and density of Classic Maya settlements and highlight the continued need for pedestrian survey to ground-truth remotely identified archaeological features and the impact of modern anthropogenic behaviors for archaeological prospection. Remote sensing and lidar have deepened our understanding of past human settlement systems and low-density urbanism, processes that we experience today as humans residing in modern cities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Classic Maya Settlements with Lidar-Derived Relief Visualizations

Thompson

2020

Remote Sensing

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“…In areas in which our survey coverage was 100%, we found cave openings not detected in the lidar. This is the most common error reported by archaeologists when using lidar imagery to detect small low-lying structures (<2 m in height) in areas of dense low vegetation [29,[64][65][66][67]. In other areas of Belize, notably the Belize River Valley, invasive Guinea grass and secondary-growth vegetation has limited the effectiveness of lidar in the identification of minor archaeological features [68].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

Moyes

Montgomery²

2019

Geosciences

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Lidar (Light detection and ranging) scanning has revolutionized our ability to locate geographic features on the earth’s surface, but there have been few studies that have addressed discovering caves using this technology. Almost all attempts to find caves using lidar imagery have focused on locating sinkholes that lead to underground cave systems. As archaeologists, our work in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, a heavily forested area in western Belize, focuses on locating potential caves for investigation. Caves are an important part of Maya cultural heritage utilized by the ancient Maya people as ritual spaces. These sites contain large numbers of artifacts, architecture, and human remains, but are being looted at a rapid rate; therefore, our goal is to locate and investigate as many sites as possible during our field seasons. While some caves are entered via sinkholes, most are accessed via vertical cliff faces or are entered by dropping into small shafts. Using lidar-derived data, our goal was to locate and investigate not only sinkholes but other types of cave entrances using point cloud modeling. In this article, we describe our method for locating potential cave openings using local relief models that require only a working knowledge of relief visualization techniques. By using two pedestrian survey techniques, we confirmed a high rate of accuracy in locating cave entrances that varied in both size and morphology. Although 100% pedestrian survey coverage delivered the highest rate accuracy in cave detection, lidar image analyses proved to be expedient for meeting project goals when considering time and resource constraints.

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“…ALS enables remote measurements of the underlying elevation of the Earth's surface and human-made structures on the landscape. This capability produces detailed topographic data for mapping and site reconnaissance purposes or investigating land use and landscape modification in antiquity (Canuto et al 2018;Chase et al 2011Chase et al , 2014Hare et al 2014;Inomata et al 2017Inomata et al , 2020Opitz 2016;Opitz and Cowley 2012;Reese-Taylor et al 2016;von Schwerin et al 2016).…”

Section: Background On the Application Of 3d Documentation Methods Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mausoleum Architectural Project: Reinterpreting Palenque's Temple of the Inscriptions Through 3d Data-Driven Architectural Analysis

2021

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The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque, Mexico, is an outstanding example of Classic Maya architecture erected in the seventh century as the funerary building for ruler K'inich Janab Pakal. For decades, scholars have speculated on its construction sequence and the potential existence of hidden rooms on either side of Pakal's mortuary chamber. This article aims to advance understanding of the Temple's architectural context in light of new 3D data. After reviewing the application of drone-based photogrammetry and terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging in the Maya area, we argue that these techniques are capable of enhancing the architectural analysis of the Temple of the Inscriptions and showing that this structure was part of a larger architectural project, encompassing the adjacent Temple XIII, and the connecting stepped building platform. Our findings demonstrate that the basal platforms for the Temple of the Inscriptions and Temple XIII were erected contemporaneously and that the design of their mortuary chambers follows a tripartite layout we identified in Palenque's elite funerary architecture and associated mortuary practices. We conclude that these three buildings were part of a mausoleum architectural project, the construction of which was initiated by Pakal to reshape Palenque's site-core and enshrine the ruling family's power and ancestors.

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Boots on the Ground at Yaxnohcah

Cited by 39 publications

References 28 publications

Detecting Classic Maya Settlements with Lidar-Derived Relief Visualizations

Detecting Classic Maya Settlements with Lidar-Derived Relief Visualizations

Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

The Mausoleum Architectural Project: Reinterpreting Palenque's Temple of the Inscriptions Through 3d Data-Driven Architectural Analysis

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