ArticleNature human behaviour2021
Origins and spread of formal ceremonial complexes in the Olmec and Maya regions revealed by airborne lidar.
Article in Nature human behaviour, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Landscape-wide cosmogram built by the early community of Aguada Fénix in southeastern Mesoamerica.Science advances · 2025Article
- Modeling the rise and demise of Classic Maya cities: Climate, conflict, and economies of scale.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Integrating remote datasets to identify precontact architecture and settlement patterns along the Wampu River system, Eastern Honduras.PloS one · 2025Article
- Late Archaic large-scale fisheries in the wetlands of the pre-Columbian Maya Lowlands.Science advances · 2024Article
- Article
- Mesoamerican urbanism revisited: Environmental change, adaptation, resilience, persistence, and collapse.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Origins of Mesoamerican astronomy and calendar: Evidence from the Olmec and Maya regions.Science advances · 2023Article
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15 authors.
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Abstract
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.
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