Thirteenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

The ancient Maya built their temples as nested dolls –new architecture encapsulating old within its foundations. Many of the best-preserved artworks, including mural paintings and stucco sculptures on architectural facades, lie beneath tons of stone masonry, rock and fill, and are physically accessible only through narrow excavation tunnels. This controlled access, designed, in part, to protect fragile artworks, has resulted in piecemeal documentation. One can never “see” the entirety of these ancient architectural spaces and artwork, which in turn limits outputs for site interpretation and education. This paper presents our ongoing efforts to bring two outstanding ancient Maya artworks from a remote region of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala to a broader public. From data capture to the creation of targeted physical replicas alongside interactive 3D virtual models, our project considers varying interests in image products of these sacred Maya spaces. While replicas might address the need for a “place” connected to landscape of cultural heritage, virtual models will feature 3D “walking” tours generating the perspective of a site visitor and software compression enabling ease of use on any device. The tours will be self-guided with information about artworks, culture, history and discovery; text and audio will be in English and Spanish, with future expansion to Mayan languages as well. A key aspect of our approach is that these models become feasible for small to medium-sized projects like our own—with the goal of enabling virtual access to heritage sites regardless of users’ economic background, geographic location or web access level.