EL MIRADOR MAPPING PROGRAM 2003-2015: INVESTIGATION OF AN ANCIENT MAYA CITY WITH TOTAL STATION, REMOTE SENSING AND GIS

Summary

The ancient city of El Mirador is surrounded by subsidiary centers forming a state level organization indicated by a strong sociopolitical organization with developed during the Preclassic periods. This paper illustrates the results of Total Station mapping, Remote Sensing, Global Positioning Systems, and GIS applications in archaeological investigations at El Mirador conducted by the Mirador Basin Project over a 12 year period and covering approximately 50 km2. This program initiated a comprehensive survey and mapping program designed to document all mounds and features associated with El Mirador, including the causeway network, definition of bajos and vegetation changes. An inductive predictive modeling approach was used to identify areas of high archaeological potential such as residential suburbs, intensive agriculture areas and hydraulic systems, among others, pending LIDAR data from the upcoming year conducted by the Mirador Basin Project. From these data several maps of the region have been derived which is used to identify the relationship of settlement with environmental resources.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• The Mirador Basin: New Investigations and Conservation Programs

Keywords

Spatial Coverage