The Maya also transformed the landscape around their settlements to help protect them from the ravages of water. Auld Thomas saw evidence of this at the site of Valeriana he helped to discover.
"It's also in an area that's extensively modified for agriculture," he says. "It's quite hilly, and basically every sloping surface that is above the level of seasonal flooding is sculpted, terraced and completely reworked so that people could use it to grow food and keep their feet dry in the rainy season."