Monuments Unmasked

Summary

Ometepe Island, Zapatera Island and Las Isletas of Lake Nicaragua are home to a distinctive group of monumental ground stone statues of up to two meters in height. Sometimes referred to as the "Alter-Ego" style, they depict humans with full animals on their back and shoulders, or elaborate headdresses with animalistic imagery. Well known throughout the country, they are featured prominently in murals and even currency. Yet their purpose and symbolism remains poorly understood due to challenges in dating production (estimates range between 300-1520 AD), but also difficulty in recovering original details following centuries of physical and chemical weathering. Using photogrammetry, high resolution three dimensional models of many of these statues were produced from thousands of photos collected over several years. These models offered the ability to look past the stained coloring and now seemingly irregular surface revealing surprising new details. Decorative elements that are absent from artist’s depictions and aren’t apparent through visual examination became discernable using these methods. Beyond a simple demonstration of photogrammetry’s applicability, it is hoped that this method will inform iconographic comparisons with ceramics and statuary from other regions of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage