Mapping Mexico by Satellite

Posted by Natasha Sheldon May 23, 2008

Between 250BC and 750 AD, the Zapotecs ruled much of southern Mexico. Theirs was the first Mexican urban state. Yet very little is known about them.

Professor Bill Middleton plans to change all that with his innovative plan to map the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. By using satellite technology to closely examine changes in natural resources across different sites, Professor Middleton hopes to identify how the Zapotec economy and environment changed as the society developed.

Two main sites will be concentrated on in the Chichicapam Valley. By analysing the variations in light reflection from objects on the ground, the researchers hope to identify variations in mineral deposits, plant species and different uses of land in relation to the sites.