Intra-site Digital Documentation of the Ancient Maya city of Palenque, Mexico

A groundbreaking integration of intra-site and inter-site digital documentation technologies reveals unprecedented potential for preserving and interpreting Mesoamerican heritage, particularly at Palenque. This study demonstrates that combining Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), image-based modeling, terrestrial laser scanning, and drone-based airborne LiDAR—supplemented by ground truthing and conservation interventions—can effectively monitor, document, and safeguard archaeological sites threatened by climate change, political instability, and looting. Unlike conventional inter-site approaches reliant on costly commercial LiDAR, this multimodal 3-D survey workflow offers a scalable, cost-effective solution for regions with limited research funding but rich cultural heritage, such as Mexico's Chiapas state. The findings underscore the transformative role of digital technologies in built heritage conservation, bridging gaps between physical preservation and interpretive analysis.

Lercari, N., Campiani, A., & Stuardo, R. L. (2018). Intra-site Digital Documentation of the Ancient Maya city of Palenque, Mexico. 2018 3rd Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHERITAGE) Held Jointly with 2018 24th International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia (VSMM 2018), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/digitalheritage.2018.8810003