Takeshi Inomata, Ph.D.

Takeshi Inomata is an archaeologist whose research using airborne light detection and ranging – known as lidar – and high-precision dating techniques to map and date Maya sites has changed the way the world looks at ancient Mesoamerica.  

Inomata and an international team of colleagues in 2018 discovered the site of Aguada Fénix in Tabasco, Mexico, which was built between 1100 and 700 B.C, centuries before the emergence of Maya dynasties. The site contains the oldest and largest monumental constructions ever found in the Maya area. The discovery has reshaped how researchers view the history of the Maya and the human ability to achieve large projects without hierarchical organization.

Inomata's work at three major sites in Guatemala and Mexico has earned him an international reputation, attracting students to the University of Arizona from all over the world. His mentorship has helped a record number of graduate students to receive grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation. Through his fieldwork in Guatemala and Mexico, he has also been training students and archaeologists there.