Re-examining Maya Rock Art at Planchón de las Figuras, Chiapas, Mexico: Documentation of Petroglyphs with Close Range, High Resolution Photogrammetry and Relief Visualization

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Value of Rock Art: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Current Rock Art Documentation, Research, and Analysis, Part I" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Maya are well-known for their sculptures in stone, most prolific during the Classic period (AD 250–800); what Gordon Willey and Robert Redfield once called “great styles” or “great traditions,” respectively. More recently, archaeologists have investigated other forms of Maya rock art and graffiti, most commonly found inside caves and architectural spaces. One of the largest examples of Maya rock art was first identified in 1903 as “Planchón de las Figuras,” roughly translated as “Great Slab of the Figures.” This site consists of a large rock art panel covered in petroglyphs, forming a beach of stratified limestone on the bank of the Lacantún River in Chiapas, Mexico. Several archaeologists have photographed and sketched these petroglyphs, which include scores of anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, geometric, and architectural designs. However, the full extent of the rock art panel and its relation to other archaeological sites has remained unclear. This research presents a very low altitude drone survey and close-range photogrammetric documentation of Planchón de las Figuras to construct a 3D model of the site. Using techniques adopted from microtopographic analysis, the 3D model was converted into a digital elevation model enhanced with relief visualization, documenting known and previously unknown petroglyphs within this sacred landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• The Value of Rock Art: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Current Rock Art Documentation, Research, and Analysis, Part I

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52820