Archaeological research in the lowlands of the Maya area has advanced significantly in recent years; at the same time, the introduction of new technologies has boosted studies and created new recording and interpretation procedures. However, despite these technological advances, archaeological research faces serious challenges to its continuity, as well as to the conservation of built heritage.
The current challenges in the Maya region are numerous, including the looting of sites, which leads to an irreparable loss of archaeological context, compounded by destruction from constant infrastructure construction that has generated impacts through megaprojects and urban expansion into unexplored areas. Other factors include mass tourism and the lack of funding for the maintenance and conservation of archaeological sites, particularly those located within urban contexts.
However, despite all this, significant results and advances have been achieved in research, such as the discovery of structures hidden beneath dense jungle with the support of LiDAR sensors, the confirmation of aspects of Maya urbanism, water management and control, exchange networks, and the decipherment of glyphs through 3D scanning of stelae, along with a wide range of results that have shifted paradigms.
This symposium aims to analyze the situation facing archaeological research in the Maya area, as well as to present advances in knowledge about the pre-Hispanic Maya, their social relations, and to move toward an understanding of social complexity over time.
