National Geographic is at it again. The magazine’s Tom Clynes reports on the remains of an expansive Pre-Colombian civilization, which they are referring to as a ‘megalopolis’, recently uncovered in Guatemala. It was discovered in the Maya Biosphere Reserve with the use of laser LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This ancient Mayan city is estimated to have could have been a functioning and bustling city, complete with a canal system and around 60000 houses, up to 12000 years ago. LiDAR has now detected several previously undiscovered pre-industrial societies.
Archaeologist Marcello Canuto explains there is a bias that exists in western civilization that assumes that complex civilizations were were not as extensiveor functional in tropical countries. However, with this discovery, Canuto states, “But with the new LiDAR-based evidence from
Central America and [Cambodia’s] Angkor Wat, we now have to consider that complex societies may have formed in the tropics and made their way outward from there.”
With continued use of LiDAR technology, who knows how many more ancient civilizations will be uncovered. This is an exciting time for archaeologists, geologists and historians!
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