The use of photogrammetry in the reading of maya monuments: the case of Naachtun, Guatemala
Abstract
Photogrammetry is a lightweight, affordable and powerful technology which can help documentation and reading of Maya sculpted monuments, particularly in remote areas where the use of a scanner is complicated. In this contribution, we explore the use of this technology on two maya steles from Naachtun, a Maya regional capital in Northern Peten, mainly occupied during the Classic Period and the seat of the Bat dynasty. One of the steles, Stela C7, in Group C, was considered as plain, and a joint work carried out by restorers, geomatics specialist, and epigraphers allowed to provide new important information on the foundation of this dynasty during the Early Classic period. The other monument, stela 22, also in Group C, although eroded, was also the subject of a 3D model and mentions the enthronement of one of the first Naachtun kings circa. 360 CE. Both case study appears to be an effort to safeguard a vulnerable cultural heritage to erosion and destruction.