This single Digital Elevation Model (DEM) laid the groundwork
for a transformational shift in Maya archaeology by providing for
one Maya site a complete landscape rather than merely a sample of
the settlement that could not be fully contextualized. Although
previously it had been possible to dismiss the size estimates for
Caracol as being based on selective sampling (e.g., ref. 50, pp. 234–
236), the LiDAR results confirmed and visually demonstrated
Caracol’s scale (28). The LiDAR provides a full view of the 200-
km2 area of Caracol, depicting a sprawling Maya city replete with
markets, roads, and almost continuous agricultural terracing, thus
corroborating the archaeological data that indicated a massive
population focused on sustainability and site-wide integration.
These data securely place Caracol, presumably along with some
other ancient Maya cities, into a tropically defined phenomenon
known as “low-density urbanism” (51, 52).