
Ancient Maya Farms Revealed by Laser Scanning - vinayan3
https://eos.org/articles/ancient-maya-farms-revealed-by-laser-scanning
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hinkley
I already had this theory before reading 1491, but definitely after: any
society that works with organic matter for tools will be underreported in the
archaeological records. Civilizations in intensively organically active areas,
same problem. And then we have ancient societies that have both problems.

We are never going to fully appreciate the extent of rainforest societies. We
will get better at guessing, but we will always underestimate them unless we
give them the benefit of the doubt.

~~~
warkdarrior
Realistically, the only way for a society to leave markers for future
archeologists is to alter its environment as much as possible.

~~~
hinkley
I remember a few years ago they thought they had a temple on a hill and they
discovered the entire hill was the temple. It was so overgrown they couldn’t
find the base. If the environment fights back that hard...

I mean, you’re fighting entropy every day. Sounds like an eco paradise but is
also hell for historians.

~~~
code_devil
Infact, the Spanish built a temple on a hill in Cholula only to be discovered
that it was actually a Pyramid!

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Cholula](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Cholula)

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foxhop
Check out the lidar in New england, we have walls all over it, more walls than
Ireland. Our walls are not protected and not attributed to ancient cultures.

Modern day people claim the settlers built them all. This is simply
impossible. The walls of New England are ruins.

~~~
bpodgursky
That's not the common view: [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-
england-stone-wall...](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-england-
stone-walls)

Whether or not it's true, it's not at all impossible that the settlers built
them all. Almost all of New England was deforested during the 1600s - 1800s.
It has since reforested since the land was marginal to start with and was
outcompeted by midwestern farms.

There were several hundred years for farmers to build stone walls out of
annoying rocks; it doesn't have to be a mystery.

~~~
mistrial9
> outcompeted by midwestern farms..

with railroads to move the produce.. yes.

It was not fun to be a New England farmer after the end of the Civil War,
economically. Things got difficult.

