Lasers reveal lost cities' complexities.

Scientists have used airborne laser scans to map ancient farm-based settlements in the Ecuadorian Andes, revealing a complex network of mounds, plazas, terraces, roads, and agricultural fields. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the complexity of ancient Amazonian civilizations. Lidar technology has been instrumental in uncovering similar metropolitan settlements in other tropical regions, such as Maya sites in Guatemala and Olmec ruins in Mexico. The scans of the Upano Valley in Ecuador show a vast human-engineered landscape with homes, community spaces, road systems, and drained agricultural fields. This research highlights the need to consider both buildings and green spaces when studying ancient urbanism. [Extracted from the article]