From Donated LiDAR to Heritage Protection: Revealing the Archaeological Landscape of Teteles de Santo Nombre, México

This paper examines the application of LiDAR data, donated in 2023 to the Teteles de Santo Nombre Archaeological Project in Tlacotepec, Puebla, Mexico, for archaeological identification, documentation, research, and cultural heritage protection. It demonstrates how LiDAR-derived terrain models provide new evidence for interpreting an understudied Mesoamerican archaeological landscape while establishing a stronger empirical basis for its documentation, management, and long-term conservation.

Despite its strategic location within central Mexico and the broader cultural sphere of ancient Mesoamerica, Teteles de Santo Nombre has received relatively limited archaeological attention. Its significance has frequently been eclipsed by the monumental architecture and more extensive research traditions associated with neighbouring cultural regions, including the Tehuacán Valley, the Gulf Coast, and the Zapotec-Mixtec region. Previous archaeological investigations have been spatially and chronologically fragmented, resulting in a discontinuous body of evidence that has hindered a comprehensive understanding of both the site and its surrounding landscape.

The acquisition of LiDAR data was motivated by the increasing risks facing the site's archaeological heritage. Since the twentieth century, agricultural activities have altered areas adjacent to the monumental core, while population growth in neighbouring communities, ongoing landscape transformation, and restricted access for fieldwork have further increased the likelihood of irreversible loss of archaeological information.

Using a LiDAR-derived digital elevation model (DEM) covering 96.44 km², this study produced three principal outcomes. First, it generated an inventory of 113 previously undocumented archaeological features, including architectural remains, waterholes, and possible hydraulic channels. Second, it delineated the site's catchment area through pedestrian travel-time modelling. Third, it identified natural resources that were potentially exploited and managed by the inhabitants of Teteles de Santo Nombre, thereby providing new insights into the environmental factors that may have supported the site's development and long-term occupation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the capacity of LiDAR to reveal archaeological evidence that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to identify through conventional field survey alone.

This case study highlights the scientific and heritage-management value of LiDAR datasets acquired through collaborative initiatives. Such datasets constitute an important resource for archaeological research and conservation, particularly in regions where urban expansion, infrastructure development, and landscape transformation pose increasing threats to the preservation of archaeological landscapes.