This talk delves into the visual history of the ancient Maya city of Tikal, exploring its local and regional geography by examining the tales of the artists, explorers, surveyors, oilmen, and archaeologists that created it. Canopy penetrating geospatial data from the Pacunam Lidar Initiative provide new views of ancient Tikal and its modern park, generating updated estimates of the city’s composition and boundaries.
The talk will also be live streamed via Facebook Live at The Mesoamerica Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UTMesoCenter/
Bio: Thomas G. Garrison is a Maya archaeologist who specializes in applying digital technologies to the study of the past. He has edited three books and published dozens of articles and chapters. Since 2016 he has served on the archaeology advisory committee of the Pacunam Lidar Initiative—the largest archaeologically focused lidar project in the world. A National Geographic Explorer, Dr. Garrison’s research is featured in the series Lost Treasures of the Maya on the National Geographic Channel and Disney+. He is currently Assistant Professor of Geography & the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin.