Announcing the Final Examination of Ms. Jessica Lee Clark for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology
The use of Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) technology is revolutionizing Maya archaeology, as it penetrates through thick vegetation prevalent in Maya environments, uncovering the structures and features below. At the site of El Mirador in the Department of Petén, Guatemala, lidar data has been analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map features, such as residential buildings and quarries, that other technologies have missed. El Mirador is a large site dating to the Preclassic period (800-600 BC) and is argued to have the largest monumental architecture built by the Lowland Maya, but the nature of socioeconomic and political control at the site is poorly understood. Through analysis of quarry and residential structure volumes in outlying areas of El Mirador at various distances from the city center, this research seeks to understand the potential nature of control of limestone production around the site. Buffer zones of 150m and 300m were created around a central residence group in three selected areas. Results demonstrated variable production of limestone depending on distance from the site epicenter. Dissimilar quarry volumes in relation to structure volume at these distances suggests differential residential control over local resources. While these results are preliminary, they present several avenues for future research in terms of residential limestone production and controlled coordination by elites.
Committee in Charge:
Dr. Brigitte Kovacevich, Chair
Dr. Michael Callaghan, Co-Chair
Dr. Scott Branting
Dr. John Walker
Dr. Scott Macrae
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