Abstract
This thesis presents the findings derived from satellite and high-resolution airborne lidar data of the Upper Usumacinta River basin of Mexico and Guatemala. Multiple environmental and spatial models were made from the remotely sensed data to look at the settlement patterns between the Classic period (250-900 A.D.) kingdoms centered on the sites of La Mar and Lacanja Tzeltal. ArcGIS Pro tools such as Stream Order, Basin, Least Cost Path, Kernel Density Estimation, and Geomorphon Landforms were used to define what factors most impacted the Maya’s preference for living in certain areas. The results establish that both environmental and socio-political factors heavily impacted ancient settlement preference. More broadly, this research emphasizes the strengths of remote sensing and GIS technology within archaeological study of settlement patterns, and it serves as a foundation for future studies to draw further connections between the relationships of landscape, politics, agriculture, the economy, and social organization.