Documenting Classic Maya Urban Landscapes: Comparing and Integrating the Results of LiDAR and Topographic Survey at El Perú-Waka’, Petén, Guatemala

Summary

Hidden by the dense forest canopy of the Petén, the size, shape and form of Classic Maya cities have remained difficult for archaeologists to document in their entirety. In recent years, however, the application of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technologies have enabled the rapid acquisition of topographic data for large swaths of the Maya lowlands. These previous investigations, primarily in Belize, Mexico, and Honduras, demonstrate, however, that the quality and required steps in processing and analysis of LiDAR data is highly variable, often dependent upon variations in vegetation type and coverage.

This paper examines the results of a recent LiDAR survey of the Classic Maya site of El Perú-Waka’ located in the western Petén, Guatemala. Over the last fifteen years El Perú has been subject of intensive and extensive topographic mapping and full-coverage survey. These "traditional" survey data provide a vital comparative data set with which to examine the strengths and weakness of LiDAR data in the Petén.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• LiDAR in the Maya Heartland: Results of the 2016 LiDAR survey in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15904