Ground-penetrating Radar at the Maya Site of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

Increasingly, for both general survey and finer reconnaissance, archaeologists are employing ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Yet, until the project reported here, GPR had not been utilized for archaeological purposes in Guatemala. By locating many hitherto unsuspected architectural features, by pinpointing loci for excavation of ritual caches and large middens, and by rapidly augmenting a conventional sampling survey in a largely Preclassic southern district of the great Maya site of Kaminaljuyu, GPR obtained important results for the better understanding of the economic, ceremonial, and residential functions of the city and proved geologically to be well-suited for use in the volcanic southern Guatemalan highlands. Further, given the drastic ongoing salvage crises confronting archaeologists in the study of Kaminaljuyu and other sites, it demonstrated its great value when rapid but comprehensive survey is required because of the imminent threat of destruction of archaeological sites and material.