The research team then discovered a huge ancient city and named it “Valeriana” after the nearby freshwater lagoon.
Researchers say Valeriana, which at its peak was home to between 30,000 and 50,000 people, probably collapsed between 800 and 1000 AD for complex reasons, including climate change. .
“There is a growing consensus that climate change is a major driver of stress, adaptation, and response, leading to further social unrest,” Canuto told NBC News on Tuesday.
Part of the reason is that their populations were so dense that they gradually became less able to withstand climate problems over several generations.
Luke Old Thomas / Ancient from Cambridge University Press
LiDAR technology is a recent advancement over the past decade that has revolutionized archaeological research, especially in heavily forested areas.
This technology can reveal far-reaching, previously invisible layers of history embedded in remote areas that are otherwise inaccessible.
LiDAR accurately covers large areas of ground, allowing researchers to discover hidden structures.
Canuto said the technology, which uses laser pulses to penetrate the forest canopy and obtain highly detailed images of the landscape beneath, has transformative power, calling it “digital deforestation.” He explained that it is a form of
Canuto said there are no known images of the lost city, only LiDAR maps. This is because no one has gone there with the locals and they suspect that perhaps there are ruins under the mound of dirt.
The study reveals for the first time Mayan structures in central-eastern Campeche, but archaeologists are discovering that areas of stratified human activity are more common than previously thought, he said. said.
Canuto hopes the discovery will highlight the need for further fieldwork, alongside a larger effort to map the area using drones.
“The next 10, 20 years are going to be great,” he said. “The amount of ground that can be covered with LiDAR should double.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
