Hey XCali! You don't sound negative at all, so don't worry! I wish everyone could give me such good feedback as you did! Thank you! Now, where to start?

First, I think I need to clarify that the 3 darkest areas with the tombs are actually "see-through" caves. Some people were confused at first, like you, which is why I updated the name to "canyon cave tombs", along with the darker shadows. These 3 areas being caves also explains the sudden deeper shadows I used. I know, I went too complex for my first map!

So, in order of lowest to highest point: the path in the middle -> the area with the 2 caves on the right -> the sundial on the upper right, the bridge and the cave to the left.

I didn't use a heightmap, (and quite frankly I don't know what that is) but I had 2 layers for shadows. The first was for the general shadows of the map, and for the second I went over each level with a soft brush. The lower the levels, the higher the opacity of the brush I used. And I believe it's easy to see when you compare the bridge with the lower level.

I'm working on another map now, with elevations again, but no caves this time! I learned my lesson!