Blogcritis.org on Mel Gibson and Mayan Archaeology

Eric Olsen of Blogcritics.org: The Maya have been rocking the new of late. Just last month NASA scientists announced they are using space- and aircraft-based "remote-sensing" technology to uncover Maya ruins not recognized in over 1,000 years using the chemical signature of the civilization's building materials. "From the air, everything but the tops of very few surviving pyramids are hidden by the tree canopy," said NASA archaeologist Tom Sever, a pioneer in the use of aerospace remote-sensing for archaeology. "On the ground, the 60- to 100-foot trees and dense undergrowth can obscure objects as close as 10 feet away. Explorers can stumble right through an ancient city that once housed thousands and never even realize it." Sever's team discovered a correlation between the color and reflectivity of the vegetation seen in the images and the location of known archaeological sites. In 2004 they hiked deep into the jungle to locations guided by the satellite images, and uncovered a series of Maya settlements exactly where the technology had predicted they would be found. Images have now helped the team survey an uncharted region around San Bartolo, Guatemala. Read the rest.