Monthly meetings

Guest Speakers: Sherman W. Horn III

Abstract: 

The application of lidar to the Maya Lowlands produced a resurgence of settlement-pattern studies, as

the new technology revealed the remains of Maya civilization in previously unfathomable detail over

large areas. With the promise of lidar to revolutionize Maya settlement studies came challenges, as

archaeologists grappled with how to maximize its potentials and recognize its limits. Few studies have

tested these boundaries to the extent of the El Pilar Project, which has recently concluded a decade-long

effort to survey 20 km2 around an ancient Maya city center shrouded in dense tropical forest.

This presentation will reflect on lessons learned from lidar-guided field survey at El Pilar and discuss the

impact of lidar on archaeological practice in the Maya Lowlands. Stunning visualizations and the allure of

discovery continue to capture the public imagination, as archaeologists unveil the latest city center

imaged by lidar. Researchers revise population estimates up to previously unthinkable levels based on

counts of “houses” brought to light by the most recent lidar survey. While the power of lidar in

archaeological prospection is undeniable, our on-the-ground experiences validating – or invalidating –

remotely sensed settlement remains shows that lidar is but one tool in the archaeologist’s kit, and that a

large part of its utility lies in revealing the landscape inhabited by the ancient Maya. Understanding the

landscape of the Maya Forest is key to answering questions of population, land-use, and agricultural

sustainability, yet this area of research remains underexplored, and much work remains for the promise

of lidar to be kept.