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Archaeologists find largest-ever Mayan complex hiding in plain sight
Researchers discover a massive ceremonial structure of the ancient Mayans using lasers.
06 June, 2020
Credit: Takeshi Inomata
- Archaeologists used laser-based aerial surveys to discover the oldest and largest Mayan structure ever found.
- The 3,000-year-old complex in the Mexican state of Tabasco was likely used as a ceremonial center.
- Researchers believe the site represents a communal society rather than one based on worshipping elites.
<p>The southern tip of Mexico is hiding a giant Mayan structure from about 3,000 years ago, new research shows. The nearly one mile-long monument may be the oldest and largest ever found from the mysterious civilization. An accomplishment of this magnitude is making scientists rethink what they know about the knowledge of the ancient Mayans.</p><p>The site, known as <strong>Aguada Fénix</strong>, was discovered in the state of Tabasco, near the Gulf of Mexico. The complex, likely used as a ceremonial center and a place of gathering, was essentially hiding under the feet of modern-day Mexicans who live above the massive structure. It's 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) long and likely dates to between <strong>1000 and 800 BCE. </strong>That time period, specifically, the year 950 BCE, also produced another Mayan site, known as Ceibal, which was previously considered the oldest-ever ceremonial center. </p>
<p>While potentially being even older, Aguada Fénix is also much larger and incomparable to anything else from that time, concluded the archaeologists led by University of Arizona professors <strong>Takeshi Inomata</strong> and <strong>Daniela Triadan.</strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"To our knowledge, this is the oldest monumental construction ever found in the Maya area and the largest in the entire pre-Hispanic history of the region," the researchers wrote in their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2343-4" target="_blank">study</a>.</p><p>The research uncovered the secret of Aguada Fénix, which looks like a natural landscape above, via aerial surveys using the remote sensing method <strong>LIDAR</strong>. The analysis, which had laser beams sent from planes through the thick canopy of trees, showed an elevated platform that's almost a mile (1,413 meters) north to south, a quarter-mile (399 meters) east to west, and as much as 33 to 50 feet (15 meters) high. The platform also has nine wide causeways leading away from it, as well as small structures and artificial reservoirs around it. </p>
<p>"Artificial plateaus may be characterised as horizontal monumentality, which contrasts with the vertical dimensions of pyramids," explained the archaeologists. They connect the look of Aguada Fénix with what is known as the <strong>Middle Formative Usumacinta (MFU)</strong> pattern, distinct for its rectangular shape and rows of low mounds.</p><p>Another interesting find relates to the lack of statues shaped like humans in the ancient settlement. The scientists think this points to the fact that the society that lived there had no "clear indicators of marked social inequality, such as sculptures representing high-status individuals." In fact, the only stone sculpture they discovered in the area was of an animal. </p><p>This type of social organization, which was possibly less hierarchical and more communal, would be in great difference to other ancient people who inhabited the region like the Olmec from the nearby state of Veracruz. Their culture is known to have produced <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec_colossal_heads" target="_blank">colossal stone heads.</a></p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="background-color: initial;">"This kind of understanding gives us important implications about human capability, and the potential of human groups," <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2020-06/uoa-lom060120.php" target="_blank">Inomata shared</a></span><span style="background-color: initial;">, adding </span><span style="background-color: initial;">"You may not necessarily need a well-organised government to carry out these kinds of huge projects. People can work together to achieve amazing results."</span></p><p>Check out the new paper "Monumental architecture at Aguada Fénix and the rise of Maya civilization" published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2343-4" target="_blank">Nature</a>. </p>
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Bring your remodeling visions to life with this easy-to-use software
Whether building from scratch or changing a room's design, this program will guide your way.
26 April, 2020
- Building additions to homes can be an expensive and cumbersome undertaking.
- Remodeling is exciting, but finding the starting point is challenging.
- The vision for your dream home or new living room can be quickly sketched up on your laptop.
<p>
There are many reasons for building an addition to your home. Another child is on the way. The light in the back of the house would hit a sunroom perfectly. After a few years in your space, storage is harder to find. Maybe you're ready for that deck.
</p><p>
Consider the interior. The den hasn't been touched in a decade. The kitchen needs an overhaul. You're finally ready for that clawfoot tub. The garage is awaiting an entertainment system.
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Every change to your home comes with an expense, but you don't need to start by paying an architect to draw up the plans. With <strong><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/ashampoo-3d-cad-7-architecture-version?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ashampoo-3d-cad-7-architecture-version&utm_term=scsf-391122&utm_content=a0x1P000004sKZ4QAM&scsonar=1" target="_blank">Ashampoo® 3D CAD 7: Architecture Version</a></strong>, you'll be ready to bring your vision to life.
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Using SketchUp and Collada, you'll learn how to draw up the designs on your own. With full support for raster elements, you'll be able to add design ideas with ease. The editing process is a snap, with full capabilities for editing 3D objects and 2D symbols. And when you need to show the CAD to someone, you won't have to seek out another program.
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One thing most reviewers online seem to agree with is that the program is "easy to use for non-professionals." So, don't worry if your interior design skills aren't exactly up to par.
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Whether you want roof-mounted photovoltaic installations to bring your home into the solar age or you need precise edge snapping to get the design down to the inch, this program is for you.
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<strong><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/ashampoo-3d-cad-7-architecture-version?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ashampoo-3d-cad-7-architecture-version&utm_term=scsf-391122&utm_content=a0x1P000004sKZ4QAM&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">You can get Ashampoo® 3D CAD 7: Architecture Version today for just $29.99, a 62% discount from the original price</a></strong>.
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<em>Price subject to change. </em>
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</p><h3>More from the Big Think Shop</h3><ul class="ee-ul">
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Mexican 'smart city' would be 100% energy efficient, self-sustaining
An Italian firm has put forward an idea for a green city that would be completely self-sustaining, modern, and green.
20 November, 2019
Image source: Stefano Boeri Architetti
- An Italian architecture firm has proposed a sustainable city for Mexico.
- The plans call for a 100 percent self-sufficient metropolis, with renewable energy, Venetian canals, and endless green space.
- This design is one of many "smart city" proposals as of late that point to a new form of urbanism.
Imagine a city that manages to combine nature and technology harmoniously, a self-sustaining metropolis where green space is punctuated by modern buildings and the bustle of city life. <p>Such a city is currently in <a href="https://inhabitat.com/first-smart-forest-city-in-mexico-will-be-100-food-and-energy-self-sufficient/" target="_blank">works</a>, as Milan-based architecture firm <a href="https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/" target="_blank">Stefano Boeri Architetti</a> has just announced plans for a smart "forest city" near Cancun, Mexico that will be able to provide all of its food and energy.</p>
Eco-Utopia?
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA5MzU5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzQ4NzEyNn0.u7NCkt3nOkHQpvVC1YuicZv4yPdS68gSBAIoSo3HbUc/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=40%2C148%2C62%2C0&height=700" id="43a8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b8209c37caa45aa01f4d6e477cbe4845" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />An aerial view of the proposed city. Notice the surrounding green space and extensive canal system.
Image source: Stefano Boeri Architetti
<p>According to the firm's <a href="https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/smart-forest-city-cancun/" target="_blank">press release</a>, the city will cover 557 hectares, 400 of which will be green spaces containing 7,500,000 plants. Designed for 130,000 people to live and work there, it will feature a wide variety of housing types to accommodate the needs of its residents.</p><p>The economy of the city will be circular, with all of its food, water, and energy needs being self-generated. The designs also include a grand research center so that the city can host university departments, conferences, and curious scholars of all ages. </p><p>The city even has plans to improve the way we interact with our data. The architects told <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/25/smart-forest-city-stefano-boeri-cancun-mexico/" target="_blank"><em>Dezeen</em></a> that "Big data management is used to improve the governance of the city, hence, the life of its citizens. Sensors are distributed within the building fabric: they collect and share relevant information, which is then centrally analyzed and turned into suggestions in support of everyday life. For example, by mapping on an app the expected outdoor comfort experience within certain areas of the city."</p><p>This data will be handled with "full respect of the privacy of the citizens."</p> If all goes according to plan, the city will be built on an area currently used as a sand quarry for hotels that is tentatively scheduled to become a shopping center.Can it really be self-sustaining?
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA5MzYzNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTA3NzAxOX0.lcfdnkWau8tCVIoQaGVgOvEJgb5IA1veJQIQweRihUs/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C25%2C0%2C187&height=700" id="da28d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b5613babdafaa1d65a88746fe459971f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Artist's impression of the fresh water canals.
Image source: Stefano Boeri Architetti
<p>The city is designed to fully sustain itself through an ingenious system of energy production and water desalination. A ring of solar panels will surround the city, generating enough power for all of the inhabitants. Water will be pulled from the Caribbean and desalinized using a solar tower. This water would be used to irrigate crops through a system of navigable canals.</p><p>Transportation will be handled by an entirely electric public "Mobility in Chain" transit system. Cars will all be left outside of the <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/architecture-firm-designs-smart-forest-city-cancun-thats-fully-self-sufficient" target="_blank">city</a>. </p><p>What carbon emissions there are will be captured by the endless <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/25/smart-forest-city-stefano-boeri-cancun-mexico/" target="_blank">plants</a>. The firm notes, with evident pride, that "thanks to the new public parks and private gardens, thanks to the green roofs and to the green facades, the areas actually occupied will be given back by nature through a perfect balance between the amount of green areas and building footprint. The Smart Forest City will absorb 116.000 tons of carbon dioxide with 5.800 tons of CO<sub>2 </sub>stocked per year."</p><p>While it currently only exists on paper, the visionaries who have dreamed this plan into existence hope the city can be an example for the world and a testing place for ideas on sustainable urbanism. It will join the ranks of several other smart cities that have been <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/28/five-smart-cities-north-america/" target="_blank">proposed</a> as ways to improve our existence, make the world more <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2017/06/28/liuzhou-forest-city-stefano-boeri-proposes-plant-covered-city-to-eat-up-chinas-smog/" target="_blank">sustainable</a>, and move beyond the limitations of our current urban planning paradigms. </p>
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MIT engineers unveil emissions-free cement
Electrochemical methods such as this could someday dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the planet.
28 October, 2019
Chiang et al.
- Cement production accounts for 8 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
- The new method uses renewable electricity to generate heat for the mixing process, while an electrochemical technique allows for carbon dioxide to be captured and stored.
- This method isn't likely to be implemented at scale anytime soon, but it's an "important first step," the researchers said.
<p><br></p></div>
<p>MIT engineers have developed a new method of making concrete without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.</p><p>Cement production is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in industry, accounting for 8 percent of total emissions worldwide. That's why some have called on architects and builders to <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/20/concrete-climate-change-architecture-emergency/" target="_blank">abandon cement</a>.</p><p>"If we invented concrete today, nobody would think it was a good idea," <a href="https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/concrete-climate-change?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_blank">said</a> architectural engineer Michael Ramage at the <a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/architecture-on-stage-the-architecture-of-emergency" target="_blank">Architecture of Emergency</a> climate summit in London in September. "We've got this liquid and you need special trucks, and it takes two weeks to get hard. And it doesn't even work if you don't put steel in it."</p><p>But it seems unlikely that cement will disappear from industry, given its cheap price and reliability as a building material. So, instead of creating a new material, a group of MIT engineers decided to work toward more sustainable cement.</p><p>The new method uses an electrochemical approach that both eliminates the burning of fossil fuels and captures inevitable emissions before they seep into the atmosphere.</p>
Preventing and capturing emissions
<p>In a paper published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/09/10/1821673116" target="_blank"><em>PNAS</em></a> on September 16, the researchers explain how CO2 is emitted at two main steps during the cement production process. The first occurs when coal is burned to cook limestone with sand and clay, the ingredients of the widely used Portland cement variety. In the new method, these materials would be heated using electricity generated from renewable sources.</p><p>"In many geographies renewable electricity is the lowest-cost electricity we have today, and its cost is still dropping," Yet-Ming Chiang, lead researcher and the Kyocera Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, told <em><a href="http://news.mit.edu/2019/carbon-dioxide-emissions-free-cement-0916" target="_blank">MIT News.</a></em></p><p>Emissions also occur during the chemical reactions of these materials. That's why the new approach depends on an electrolyzer, a device which uses electrodes to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. At one electrode, pulverized limestone is dissolved in acid, releasing a stream of highly pure carbon dioxide, which can be captured, stored, and potentially used for other manufacturing purposes.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjAzOTI3NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDA1NDg1OH0.n0RCL37yJrpQ2sRtkr4QNuia_PuP03fY1CnUZ17R5f4/img.png?width=980" id="60805" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e92388d50d09f9e99caef40c09e88240" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Scheme for a low-emission, electrochemically based cement plant. An electrochemical decarbonation reactor powered by renewable electricity converts CaCO3 to Ca(OH)2 for use in cement synthesis
Chiang et al.
An 'important first step'
<p>Still, there's no guarantee that the method can be scaled in a cost-effective manner. For Chiang and his team, the main goal was to spur people in the electrochemical sector to "start thinking" about ways to clean up the cement production process — to come up some innovative solutions.</p><p>"It's an important first step, but not yet a fully developed solution," Chiang told <em>MIT News.</em></p>
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Sign of the times: School designed to limit impact of mass shootings
With little progress on other avenues to preventing mass shootings, one firm has employed architecture to save students.
19 September, 2019
Image source: TowerPinkster
- A school in Michigan is being remodeled in a way to minimize the effect of a shooter should the worst happen.
- It features limited sight lines, bullet proof windows, and doors that can be locked at the push of a button.
- Some research casts doubt on how effective the plans will actually be.
<p>America has a <del>mental health</del>, <del>video game</del>, <del>single-parent household</del>, <del>lack of school prayer</del>, <del>violent television</del><del>,</del> gun violence problem. Every day, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence, and hundreds more are <a href="https://everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-america/" target="_blank">injured</a>. While most of these shootings are not in public schools, it is the images of school children being mowed down in their innocence that sticks with us.</p><p>Despite widespread support for various gun control measures, they are currently political non-starters. Desperate for a solution, many people have turned to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/bulletproof-backpacks-wouldn-t-have-saved-anyone-recent-shootings-n1042801" target="_blank">bulletproof backpacks</a> among other curious solutions in an attempt to protect their children.</p><p>However, an architectural firm has decided to up the ante in this odd game; they have designed a school that is designed to minimize the impact of mass shootings.</p>
The world Americans live in now
<p>TowerPinkster, an architecture firm based in Michigan, has designed a school for the hamlet of Fruitport. It features many design elements selected by the firm to limit the impact of a shooter. While the project won't be finished until 2021, some elements are already in place as part of the longterm $48 million remodeling effort.</p><p>The campus will feature a series of fire doors which can all be closed and locked with the pushing of a single button, to isolate an attacker in one area. Hallways will be slightly curved to cut off the shooter's line of sight; intermittent wing walls will dot the halls as well so that children might hide behind them. Similar barriers will exist behind classroom doors in hopes that teachers and students can hide in their rooms as <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/05/fruitport-high-school-tower-pinkster-michigan-mass-shooting" target="_blank">well</a>.</p><p>Lockers will no longer line walls, but instead, be located on islands in the middle of wide-open spaces. The stated benefit of this is to allow teachers to see the whole room without obstruction. The lockers will also be much shorter than most high school lockers. The building's windows will be covered in a bulletproof film.</p><p>Before you get too shocked by all this, Sandy Hook was recently rebuilt with an eye towards keeping people <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2017/10/26/new-sandy-hook-school-designed-prevent-unwanted-intrusions-kind-news-architecture/" target="_blank">out</a>, and the American Institute of Architects came up with several ideas to make schools less vulnerable to mass shootings last <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/14/architects-have-role-addressing-school-gun-violence-aia/" target="_blank">year</a>.</p>Do people think this will actually work? What are experts saying?
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="ZWIytwT3" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="3c2989a7d9bd26eb6fd1e09abca5c1ba"> <div id="botr_ZWIytwT3_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/ZWIytwT3-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/ZWIytwT3-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/ZWIytwT3-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>The designs are mostly untested, and their effectiveness during an active shooter situation is still theoretical. The <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2018/12/19/464445/smart-investments-safer-schools/" target="_blank">Center for American Progress</a>, a non-partisan think tank, has data that suggests that making schools "hard targets" isn't very effective and has unwanted side effects on students. The center's experts, instead, suggest we do something about gun violence overall, in terms of policy — a common <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/effectiveness-gun-laws?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">refrain</a> from other <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/gun-violence" target="_self">researchers</a>.</p><p>It should also be said that some are concerned that if the worst should happen, the same features that are supposed to protect students could make it harder for the police to apprehend the <a href="https://archpaper.com/2019/08/fruitport-high-school-towerpinkster-renovation/" target="_blank">shooter</a>. This isn't too farfetched, in 2003 SWAT team members blamed the design of a Frank Gehry building for delaying their capture of a shooter — it took seven <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/us/ex-employee-held-in-campus-attack.html" target="_blank">hours</a>. </p><p>The people who built the school in Fruitport are also quick to say that it isn't "impenetrable," but do suggest that the design could make a difference in an emergency. </p><p>Given the stance of the American Institute of Architects and the number of expert resources that TowerPinkster had to turn to, it is likely that we will see more schools like this before we see fewer. Additionally, some of the design choices were suggested by the National Institute of Crime Prevention's Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program.</p><p>In a Kafkaesque vision of things that may be, Fruitport Superintendent Bob Szymoniak did say of the building's <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/newly-built-high-school-was-designed-hiding-places-curved-hallways-make-things-harder-mass-1455827" target="_blank">features</a>: "These are going to be design elements that are just naturally part of buildings going into the future."</p><p>As the United States continues to grapple with gun violence, private actors are beginning to step in where policy has failed. While the actual effectiveness of a "massacre proof" school remains unknown, it is understandable why some people would turn to one for a feeling of security. </p>
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