The ability to articulate ancient landscapes fully permits
a better understanding of the complexity of ancient Mesoamerican
urbanism and also aids in modern conservation efforts. The importance
of this geospatial innovation is demonstrated with newly
acquired LiDAR data from the archaeological sites of Caracol, Cayo,
Belize and Angamuco, Michoacán, Mexico. These data illustrate the
potential of technology to act as a catalytic enabler of rapid transformational
change in archaeological research and interpretation
and also underscore the value of on-the-ground archaeological
investigation in validating and contextualizing results.