Using LiDAR to Map an Ancient Purépecha Water Management System in ArcGIS

Summary

Recent applications of LiDAR technology at the Late Postclassic city of Angamuco, located in the heartland of the ancient Purépecha Empire in modern day Michoacan, Mexico are allowing for the identification and analysis of urban features in innovative ways. A complex system of constructed water management features consisting of reservoirs, sunken plazas, and connective canals were a vital form of infrastructure that were required for the movement of water across the dynamic landscape upon which the city is located. Access to water played a crucial role for the occupants of Angamuco in everyday life, and for the maintenance of inner-city gardens located throughout the city. Using various tools in ArcGIS to render different visualizations and employing mapping contours at various scales, my aim is to identify and measure the natural depressions and constructed features that compose the water control system across the site. The primary goal of this research is to better understand the hydrological makeup of the city and surrounding landscape as well as to better understand the ways the inhabitants of Angamuco organized themselves to optimize access to water throughout the year.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22215