Origins and spread of formal ceremonial complexes in the Olmec and Maya regions revealed by airborne lidar

City plans symbolizing cosmologies have long been recognized as a defining element of Mesoamerican civilizations. The origins of formal spatial configurations are thus the key to understanding early civilizations in the region. Assessment of this issue, however, has been hindered by the lack of syst...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature human behaviour 2021-11, Vol.5 (11), p.1487-1501
Main Authors: Inomata, Takeshi, Fernandez-Diaz, Juan Carlos, Triadan, Daniela, García Mollinedo, Miguel, Pinzón, Flory, García Hernández, Melina, Flores, Atasta, Sharpe, Ashley, Beach, Timothy, Hodgins, Gregory W L, Durón Díaz, Juan Javier, Guerra Luna, Antonio, Guerrero Chávez, Luis, Hernández Jiménez, María de Lourdes, Moreno Díaz, Manuel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeology
Architecture - history
Central America
Civilization
History, Ancient
Humans
Mayan civilization
Satellite Imagery
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Summary:City plans symbolizing cosmologies have long been recognized as a defining element of Mesoamerican civilizations. The origins of formal spatial configurations are thus the key to understanding early civilizations in the region. Assessment of this issue, however, has been hindered by the lack of systematic studies of site plans over broad areas. Here, we report the identification of 478 formal rectangular and square complexes, probably dating from 1,050 to 400 BC, through a lidar (laser imaging, detection and ranging) survey across the Olmec region and the western Maya lowlands. Our analysis of lidar data also revealed that the earlier Olmec centre of San Lorenzo had a central rectangular space, which possibly provided the spatial template for later sites. This format was probably formalized and spread after the decline of San Lorenzo through intensive interaction across various regions. These observations highlight the legacy of San Lorenzo and the critical role of inter-regional interaction.
ISSN:2397-3374
2397-3374
DOI:10.1038/s41562-021-01218-1