Mapping and 3D Modeling of Mayapán's Monumental Center

Summary

During our 2016 field season, we mapped and created 3D models of Mayapán's monumental center and several major architectural features. Located in the Northern Yucatán approximately 40km south of Modern Mérida, Mexico, Mayapán was the largest ancient Maya political capital of the Postclassic Period and was one of the most densely nucleated of all Maya cities. It was a key center of political, religious, and economic activity. Mayapán's monumental zone is relatively small, but contains a dense collection of temples, colonnaded halls, palaces, altars, and addition structures. We used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) to carry photographic equipment to collect both vertical and oblique photos and videos of the consolidated architecture. The resulting images were processed in photogrammetric software to generate an orthorectified photo mosaic and several 3D models major architectural features. These products were integrated into a Geographical information (GIS) to facilitate analysis. In this poster, we outline the technology and data processing workflow used and display the resulting products.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17397