Tsenacomoco
(White Washed Images & John Smith Map)
SEE-THROUGH MAYA Ruins at the Classic Maya city of Tikal in northern Guatemala poke out of dense forests that, thanks to aerial laser mapping, have revealed the unexpected size and complexity of this ancient American civilization.
ICKANDGAK/PIXABAY
This laser-mapped, eastward-looking view of the Maya site Aguada Fénix includes a rectangular ceremonial center (top center) oriented toward sunrise at a particular time of year.
TAKESHI INOMATA
Archaeologists had studied human-made mounds in Upano Valley for decades (some shown), but lidar scans gave them an unprecedented view of the landscape.
S. ROSTAIN
At several sites in Ecuador’s Upano Valley, such as this one, called Kunguints, laser scans revealed the remains of buildings arranged around low squares and distributed along widely dug streets.
A. DORISON AND S. ROSTAIN