Revisiting the Polychromatic Stucco of Lamanai, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A significant assemblage of Late to Terminal Classic stucco was discovered at the archaeological site of Lamanai in northern Belize. Originally forming a frieze adorning the upper facade of the palatial Structure N10-28, the stucco fragments are remarkable for their overall preservation and their extensive polychromatic pigmentation. In 2023 a new phase of documentation was initiated, following up on earlier efforts undertaken between 1998-2000. This ongoing study aims to explore the potential of photogrammetry for cultural heritage management purposes, and for reconstructing the original pictorial registers of the frieze in a 3D environment. The study focused in particular on 1) photographic and photogrammetric documentation of selected pieces, 2) chromatic documentation and determination of color values of the pigments, and 3) iconographic and epigraphic analyses of the figurative and glyphic stucco. The preliminary analyses of the iconographic frieze reveal sections of a highly detailed narrative scene, which furthers our understanding of ancient Maya pictorial expressions at Lamanai.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40326.0