I've stumbled across some fascinating research on Radar Mapping for Archaeology focused on Ancient Land Use in the Maya Lowlands written by JPL Researchers in 1981 "Radar Mapping, Archaeology, and Ancient Land Use in the Maya Lowlands" by R.E.W. Adams, W.E. Brown, Jr., and T. Patrick Culbert. 

Seeing Through the Jungle: The Prescient Use of Radar in Maya Archaeology (JPL, 1981)

In an era long before drones, LiDAR, and AI-powered image analysis, a small team of visionary scientists and archaeologists dared to look beneath the dense jungle canopy of Central America—using radar. The 1981 report by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), titled “Radar Mapping, Archaeology, and Ancient Land Use in the Maya Lowlands”, is a fascinating and forward-looking document. Not only did it help validate large-scale intensive agriculture in ancient Maya civilization, but it also represented one of the earliest intersections of remote sensing technology with archaeological research. In 2025, with computer vision and AI reshaping the field, this effort appears astonishingly prescient.

The Archaeological Challenge: Seeing the Unseen

The Maya lowlands, sprawling over 250,000 square kilometers, are cloaked in thick jungle and subject to heavy rainfall. These conditions make traditional archaeological surveying and aerial photography difficult. For decades, archaeologists had been hampered by the inability to access or even see much of the terrain—especially the swamps and bajos (seasonal wetlands) suspected of having played key roles in Maya agriculture.

Compounding this was a long-standing puzzle: how could such a sophisticated civilization—replete with monumental cities like Tikal and Seibal—have been supported by what seemed to be a low-yield, slash-and-burn agricultural system? There were hints of something more intensive and organized, but no method had proven effective in documenting it across the vast and jungle-shrouded landscape.

Enter Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR): A Space-Age Archaeological Tool

The breakthrough came via an unlikely source: technology developed to scan the surface of Venus. Specifically, NASA's airborne imaging radar system, mounted on a Convair 990 aircraft and operated by JPL. Originally built to support planetary missions and later adapted for SEASAT (a 1978 oceanographic satellite), this radar system used a 25 cm wavelength L-band, capable—at least in theory—of penetrating vegetation and detecting structures below the forest canopy.

The radar system, boasting a synthetic aperture length of 750 meters and a ground resolution of about 20 meters, scanned vast tracts of the Petén region of Guatemala and northern Belize between 1977 and 1980. By flying at 24,000 feet and utilizing precise navigation, JPL researchers were able to collect data regardless of weather or daylight conditions—a huge advantage in cloud-covered and inaccessible regions.

What the Radar Revealed

The radar imagery revealed subtle but pervasive patterns: ladder-like grids, curvilinear canals, and lattice structures crisscrossing swampy terrain. These were consistent with the layouts of ancient canal and raised-field agricultural systems. Comparing radar data with aerial photos, topographic maps, and on-the-ground verification, the team found strong evidence that many of the patterns were indeed anthropogenic—man-made systems designed to drain swamps and support intensive cultivation.

In five separate zones in northern Belize, these findings were confirmed through ground checks and excavations. Canals—some up to several meters wide—were verified, often accompanying raised field remnants and indicating a sophisticated agricultural system. In Seibal and Tikal, preliminary ground explorations and low-level flights showed matching features, though the denser canopy made confirmation more difficult.

A Rewriting of Maya Agriculture and Urbanism

This evidence challenged a then-dominant view of the Maya economy as primarily based on slash-and-burn agriculture. Instead, the report argued that the Maya had engineered extensive hydrological systems to manage water and soil in some of the most challenging terrain imaginable. Estimates based on radar data suggest that between 1,285 and 2,475 square kilometers of land may have been modified for agriculture via canals—many times the area of Aztec chinampas (floating gardens) in the Valley of Mexico.

This has broad implications:

• Population Support: Intensive cultivation could explain how cities like Tikal supported tens of thousands of people.

• Urban Planning: Proximity to swamps may have been a strategic choice, not a limitation—making wetlands a vital agricultural resource.

• Transportation: The canals may have doubled as transportation routes, facilitating trade and provisioning urban centers.

• Societal Complexity: The coordination required to build and maintain these systems supports views of highly organized, centralized political structures.

Technological and Historical Significance

What makes this paper particularly remarkable is not just what it discovered—but how it did so. In the early 1980s, the use of synthetic aperture radar for archaeological mapping was unprecedented. The idea that electromagnetic waves, developed for interplanetary science, could uncover lost civilizations beneath tropical forests seems almost cinematic in hindsight.

Today, in 2025, we take for granted the power of AI-enhanced satellite imagery and LiDAR scans processed in real time. But this JPL effort laid the groundwork. It was one of the first serious demonstrations that radar could cut through foliage to reveal archaeological landscapes on a regional scale. It also illustrated the vital importance of interdisciplinary collaboration—between archaeologists, engineers, NASA pilots, and radar technicians.

Conclusion: A Vision Ahead of Its Time

Forty-plus years later, this JPL project stands as a monument to scientific vision and technological innovation. By leveraging a space-era radar system to peel back the veil of the jungle, the researchers didn't just reveal canals and ancient fields—they redefined what we thought was possible in archaeology.

The work remains under-cited but deserves recognition as a foundational piece in the evolution of remote sensing and archaeological survey techniques. In many ways, it foreshadowed the remote, AI-enhanced, sensor-driven explorations now at the heart of global cultural heritage research.

In a time when ancient pasts are being rediscovered through silicon eyes, this 1981 report serves as a reminder: sometimes, the future of archaeology begins with a giant metal bird flying above the jungle, looking where no one else could.

I hope you enjoyed this article on fascinating research on Radar Mapping for Archaeology focused on Ancient Land Use in the Maya Lowlands written by JPL Researchers in 1981. 

Chris Coffey

BlueLens AI

21 June 2025

Primary Source

- Adams, R.E.W., Brown, W.E., Jr., & Culbert, T.P. (1981). *Radar Mapping, Archaeology, and Ancient Land Use in the Maya Lowlands*. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Contract Report CR-164931.

Contemporary Accounts

- Bell, P.M. (1980). “NASA radar experiment discovers Mayan canals.” *EOS, Transactions American Geophysical Union*, 61(34), 657. DOI:10.1029/EO061i034p00657.

- NASA/ADS Abstracts. (1982). Summary of radar archaeology applications in the Maya lowlands. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu

Remote Sensing and SAR in Archaeology

- Wikipedia contributors. (2023). *Remote sensing in archaeology*. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing_in_archaeology

- Wikipedia contributors. (2023). *Synthetic-aperture radar*. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar

Follow-Up and Comparative Research

- Hixson, D. (2013). “Seeing through the forest: L-band SAR and wetland archaeology in Yucatán.” In *Remote Sensing in Archaeology* (ed. J. Wiseman & F. El-Baz), pp. 123–146. Springer.

- Chase, A.F., Chase, D.Z., & Weishampel, J.F. (2012). “Geospatial revolution and remote sensing LiDAR in Mesoamerican archaeology.” *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*, 109(32), 12916–12921. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205198109

- Canuto, M.A., et al. (2019). “Ancient lowland Maya complexity as revealed by airborne laser scanning of northern Guatemala.” *PNAS*, 116(31), 15336–15345. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819985116

Archaeological Validation of Canals

- Hammond, N. (1973). “Nohmul: A Middle Formative preclassic site in Belize.” *Science*, 179(4073), 305–309.

- Scarborough, V. (1983–1988). Fieldwork on ancient Maya water management systems at Cerros, Belize.

- Siemens, A.H., & Puleston, D.E. (1972). “Raised field agriculture in the Maya lowlands.” *Science*, 178(4066), 745–747.