Defensive Strategies and Architectural Investment: A LiDAR Study of Dos Aguadas

Summary

This is an abstract from the "For Conquest or Defense? the Fortresses and Fortified Centers of Mesoamerica" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The research presented in this study utilizes LiDAR technology and GIS to analyze the defensive earthworks at Dos Aguadas, a Maya settlement in the Holmul Region of Guatemala. This study aims to explore the scale of Classic Lowland Maya warfare through the architectural investment observed in the earthworks. By estimating the local population and analyzing the labor force required to construct these fortifications, the research assesses whether the defensive efforts were a localized initiative or part of a broader regional defense strategy potentially linked to the larger city of Tikal. The study employs various geospatial analyses, including viewshed and least-cost path analyses, to evaluate the strategic significance of Dos Aguadas within the regional landscape. The findings suggest that the fortifications may have been part of a coordinated defense system, reflecting the influence of a larger political entity. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of Maya military organization and the socio-political mechanisms that underpinned the construction of large-scale defensive structures during the Classic period

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• For Conquest or Defense? the Fortresses and Fortified Centers of Mesoamerica

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52631