A graduate student analyzing publicly available drone data in Mexico unexpectedly stumbled across a huge ancient Mayan city buried beneath dense jungle. For centuries, the city lay hidden amid jungle canopy in the state of Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico. New research published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity reveals sites that in total cover area about one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C. The data, gathered by a research group studying land-use patterns, came to light using modern drone mapping technology known as LiDAR — light detection and ranging equipment. LiDAR maps are used by a wide range of researchers to collect data for archeological and nonarchaeological purposes, but Auld-Thomas took the data and analyzed the maps with methods used by archaeologists.

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Persons: Luke Auld, Thomas, Marcello Canuto, Auld Organizations: Tulane University Locations: Mexico, Campeche, of Mexico, Washington ,, Mexican, Yucatan, Tikal, Guatemala, New Orleans , Louisiana