Lidar survey of ancient Maya settlement in the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico.

Autor: Ringle WM; Dept. of Anthropology (Emeritus), Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, United States of America., Gallareta Negrón T; Centro Regional Yucatán, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mérida, Yucatán, México., May Ciau R; Bolonchen Regional Archaeological Project, Oxkutzcab, Yucatán, México., Seligson KE; Department of Anthropology, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California, United States of America., Fernandez-Diaz JC; National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America., Ortegón Zapata D; Bolonchen Regional Archaeological Project, Oxkutzcab, Yucatán, México.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2021 Apr 28; Vol. 16 (4), pp. e0249314. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 28 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249314
Abstrakt: The application of lidar remote-sensing technology has revolutionized the practice of settlement and landscape archaeology, perhaps nowhere more so than in the Maya lowlands. This contribution presents a substantial lidar dataset from the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico, a cultural subregion of the ancient Maya and a distinct physiographic zone within the Yucatan peninsula. Despite the high density of known sites, no large site has been fully surveyed, and little is known about intersite demography. Lidar technology allows determination of settlement distribution for the first time, showing that population was elevated but nucleated, although without any evidence of defensive features. Population estimates suggest a region among the most densely settled within the Maya lowlands, though hinterland levels are modest. Lacking natural bodies of surface water, the ancient Puuc inhabitants relied upon various storage technologies, primarily chultuns (cisterns) and aguadas (natural or modified reservoirs for potable water). Both are visible in the lidar imagery, allowing calculation of aguada capacities by means of GIS software. The imagery also demonstrates an intensive and widespread stone working industry. Ovens visible in the imagery were probably used for the production of lime, used for construction purposes and perhaps also as a softening agent for maize. Quarries can also be discerned, including in some cases substantial portions of entire hills. With respect to agriculture, terrain classification permits identification of patches of prime cultivable land and calculation of their extents. Lidar imagery also provides the first unequivocal evidence for terracing in the Puuc, indeed in all northern Yucatan. Finally, several types of civic architecture and architectural complexes are visible, including four large acropolises probably dating to the Middle Formative period (700-450 B.C.). Later instances of civic architecture include numerous Early Puuc Civic Complexes, suggesting a common form of civic organization at the beginning of the Late Classic demographic surge, (A.D. 600-750).
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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