Pre-Columbian settlements of La Mosquitia (LiDAR)
Asentamientos precolombinos de La Mosquitia (LiDAR)
- Date
- 2012-2015 · confidence medium
- Place
- La Mosquitia, Gracias a Dios, Honduras
- Credited to
- Chris Fisher, Steve Elkins and NCALM team; Colorado State University
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
A 2012 LiDAR sweep over the Honduran jungle of La Mosquitia revealed settlements with plazas, mounds and terraces, which 2015 expeditions confirmed through ground exploration. It shows a complex pre-Columbian society, distinct from the Maya, in a region almost entirely unexcavated.
The find was announced under the name 'White City' or 'City of the Monkey God' (a legend), which archaeologists criticised; the exact coordinates are withheld. The chronology and urban character of the sites are not well established.
What it led to
- recognition of a previously unknown pre-Hispanic culture of La Mosquitia
- a debate on the legend of the White City
- archaeological protection programmes in Honduras