the kaminaljuyú sculpture project

The Kaminaljuyú Sculpture ProjectGuatemala, Central America

Documentation and analysis of 2,000 year-old stone sculptures

The significance of the sculptural record at Kaminaljuyú stems from the concept that…

“Every later Mesoamerican society developed within a framework that was laid in the Pre-Classic. The material features that we see archaeologically as typical of Mesoamerica took their essential form during this period." (Joyce and Grove 1999:2)



Further significance of the sculptural corpus:

The sculpted material from the site is a primary nexus in the transformative process fromconceptual communication to its physical demonstration.

The longevity of Kaminaljuyú’s occupation spans the Early Formative period (c. 1200 BCE) through the Classic period (c. 900 CE).

The early development of the site was at a time when the archaeological record indicates the incipient materialization in stone of symbols and icons occurred across Mesoamerica.

This preliminary phase was followed by the appearance of emergent writing systems and their subsequent florescence.



Only a remanant of the archaeological site of Kaminaljuyú remains. Today, it is a small island surrounded by modern-day Guatemala City.

Photo by Maynor Mijangos

Current and past challenges to documentation and analysis include:



Development continues to encroach upon remaining portions of the site.




Monuments displaced and widely dispersed




Monuments are broken, abraded, and defaced




Previous recording techniques are inadequate for in-depth research and analysis




Solution 1:

Close-range laser scanning of all known Kaminaljuyu sculpture



Solution 2:

Make 3D data of Kaminaljuyu sculpture available electronically to researchers



Mesoamerican Three-Dimensional Imaging Projecthttp://research.famsi.org/3D_imaging/index.php

The three-dimensional images in this database allow Mesoamerican scholars, iconographers, epigraphers, or other interested parties to study the sculptures at a level of detail and in a virtual reality not previously possible.



Altar 14

Altar 8

Two-dimensional static depictions of 3D data



3D scan data (point cloud) 3D scan data with line delineation


Scan data in vertex color

Scan data in monotone

Scan data can be viewed in vertex color or in a monotone. Each provides different advantages to the viewer depending on the nature of the investigation.

Monotones allow the actual surface of an object to be more clearly observed. This view eliminates reflections, inclusions, discolorations, and other factors that may inhibit visualization.


Accurate on-screen measurements, previously inaccessible perspectives, or unrecognized detail are possible with scan data.

Horizontal center cross-cut view

32.0 cm

34.4 cm

22.1 cm

Side A1.84 M

Vertical cross-cut view

30.4 cm

Side B2.65 M

Side A

39.5 cm

Negative and internal view

Kaminaljuyú Monument 65, Side B



Tool Marks and Evidence of Re-Working and Modification

Kaminaljuyú Monument 12 Kaminaljuyú Altar 1


Tool Marks and Evidence of Re-Working and Modification

Kaminaljuyú Monument 65 [B]

Break holes

View objects in three-dimensions Manipulate the images a full 360º Magnify portions of the object for closer scrutiny Maneuver the light source to any angle to bring out or enhance desired detail Make exceedingly accurate on-screen measurements anywhere on the object Examine the artifact on their office, lab, or home computer, in many cases, as thoroughly as if the object were physically present Conduct research and visual analysis anywhere in the world without having to travel to the actual artifact location



The laser scan data sets permit researchers to:

Kaminaljuyú Stela 9 – Drawing, photo, 3D views in blue monotone


• Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología de Guatemala, Claudia Monzón, Director

• Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Dr. Oswaldo Chinchilla, Director

• Miraflores Museo, Dr. Juan Antonio Valdés, Director

• Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Lic. Ervin Salvador López Aguilar, Director General de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural

• Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Dra. Bárbara Arroyo Pieters

• Museo Vigua de Arte y Museo de Arqueología, Paseo de los Museos, Casa Santo Domingo, Ana Claudia de Suasnavar, Director


Collaborators:

Funding provided by a major research grant from:

The Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. Crystal River, FL

High Definition Archaeological Documentation and Survey : Applications to Mesoamerica’s Formative Period Sculpture

A collaborative effort between

The Alliance for Integrated Spatial Technologies College of Arts and SciencesUniversity of South Florida

and

The Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.Crystal River, Florida

Mesoamerican Three-Dimensional Imaging Projecthttp://research.famsi.org/3D_imaging/index.php

To view results from this project and other Mesoamerican sculpture, please visit:

Website:• http://www.famsi.org/reports/07007/index.html

Publications:• Doering, Travis F. and Lori D. Collins

2008 The Kaminaljuyú Sculpture Project: An Expandable Three-Dimensional Data Base, Final Report. Foundation for the Advancement ofMesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), Crystal River, FL. http://www.famsi.org/reports/07007/index.html.

• Forthcoming Revisiting Kaminaljuyú Monument 65 in Three-Dimensional High Definition In The Place of Sculpture in Mesoamerica’s Preclassic Transition: Context, Use, and Meaning, edited by Clark, Guernsey and Arroyo. vol. The 2007 Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Symposium, Antigua, Guatemala, 5-6 October 2007. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.

Presentations:• XXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City, 23 al

27 de julio del 2007

• The Place of Sculpture in Mesoamerica’s Preclassic Transition. The 2007 Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian SymposiumCasa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala - October 2007

• Society for American Archaeology 72nd Annual Meetings. Austin, Texas, April 25 - 29, 2007


the kaminaljuyú sculpture project

Documents