The Excerpt PhD student finds lost city in Mexico jungle by accident
Aug 10, 2025
Tulane doctoral student Luke Auld-Thomas, an emerging star in archaeology, accidentally uncovered the lost Mayan city of Valeriana while researching online. His exploration into LIDAR technology revolutionized the search for hidden settlements beneath dense jungle canopies. Luke shares exciting insights on how a simple Google search can lead to monumental discoveries and discusses the potential for uncovering even more ancient sites waiting to be revealed. Join him on this captivating journey into the past!
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LiDAR Benefits Many Disciplines
- LIDAR serves archaeologists, foresters, environmental scientists, and engineers.
- Cross-disciplinary data collection expands opportunities for secondary discoveries.
Unused LiDAR Datasets Hold Archaeological Gold
- LIDAR datasets collected for other purposes often sit unused online.
- Archaeologists can repurpose these free datasets to map hidden ancient settlements.
Found A City By Deep-Google Searching
- Luke found a LIDAR dataset after deep-searching obscure pages.
- He downloaded and quickly processed it, revealing an archaeological goldmine.