MITLA 3D : A Digital Reconstruction of the Most Important Postclassic Zapotec City

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Bringing the Past to Life, Part 2: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Illustrating the past in a faithful and immersive way requires finding the right balance between the available archaeological data and the imagination that fills in the many blanks. This presentation is about such an experience, from a background in architecture and digital arts. The Zapotecs are one of the most fascinating cultures of the Americas, and after Monte Albán, Mitla is definitely their most famous city, often compared to a "Vatican" for the map of Postclassic Mesoamerica. In spite of its importance, until 2018, Mitla had never been reconstructed in 3D, and was rarely depicted in color. The work presented here, self-funded, the sum of a full year of modelling on Blender, is an attempt at offering our eyes the spectacular aspect of Mitla-Lyobaa in its golden age. The 3D here allows one to grasp the city at all scales, in the vast natural landscape, in urban districts, and in intimate corners of the architecture. This work is also a positive story of meeting with today’s Mitla, creating faithful images to celebrate the locals’ amazing ancestry, contributing to their pride of an inspiring past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bringing the Past to Life, Part 2: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38112.0