Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2015 - 70

On-site conservation of in situ
murals at San Bartolo
Refitted mural fragments showing
face of a solar deity

Dispatches from the AIA

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Excavate, Educate, Advocate

Mural exhibit at Science Museum
of Minnesota

(continued from page 68)

San Bartolo
In 2001, a series of spectacular ancient
Maya murals dating to the Late
Preclassic period (400 b.c. to a.d.
250) were discovered at the site
of San Bartolo in Guatemala. Te
rare and incredibly well-preserved
paintings provide signifcant insights
into ancient Maya artistic traditions.
Recognizing the importance of the
murals, the Guatemalan government
designated San Bartolo a national
treasure, protecting the site from
development and the commercial logging prevalent in the area. Te intact
murals are only one portion of the
site's artistic wonders. Further excavations uncovered fragments of paintings that were deliberately broken into
70

pieces and buried by the ancient Maya.
Te fragments came from murals
associated with earlier buildings that
had been dismantled to make room
for new construction. Between 2005
and 2009, archaeologists recovered
more than 6,000 mural fragments
that had been deposited in various
locations around the destroyed foundations of earlier structures.
Since the discovery of the murals,
an international team of experts has
been working to conserve and record
the paintings in situ and to recover
and study the fragments. Te results
of these eforts have been made available to the public through lectures,
publications, television features, and
websites. Tere is, however, increasing
pressure to open the site to visitors.
Currently, access to the site is strictly

regulated and visitors have to obtain a
permit from the Guatemalan Institute
of Anthropology and History. Opening
access to the site will inevitably lead to
deterioration of the murals and the
other archaeological remains at the site.
IDEA was established to conserve
and protect the site while making the
murals available to a global audience. To
do this, the project uses a combination
of on-site mural stabilization, documentation, and environmental monitoring
along with the development of exhibition materials and alternate ways of
viewing the murals, including reproductions of the artworks and digital media.
Te AIA grant will provide fnancial support for outreach eforts that
include digitizing the intact artworks
and recovered mural fragments and presenting them to the public both online
and through the creation of large-scale
panels to be displayed on-site. Te allweather panels will be housed under a
roofed structure. Creating of-site exhibits and digital media accessible via the
Internet will relieve some of the pressure
to open the site to mass tourism while
still providing access to the amazing
discoveries that are being made at San
Bartolo. Te grant complements and
builds upon earlier support provided to
the project by the AIA through a special pledge drive at the Institute's 2013
Spring Gala in New York.
Tahcabo and San Bartolo exemplify
the challenges facing archaeological
sites as the people responsible for site
maintenance try to balance preservation needs against modern pressures,
including development. Te AIA Site
Preservation Grant program supports
projects that address these issues
through a combination of conservation and outreach. Grants are awarded
twice per year. For more information
about all of the AIA-funded projects
and to apply for a grant, visit www.
archaeological.org/sitepreservation.
AIA Site Preservation Grants are
available through the generous support
of readers like you. To donate to the
AIA Site Preservation Program, go to
www.archaeological.org/sitepreservation/donate.

http://www.archaeological.org/sitepreservation http://www.archaeological.org/sitepreservation http://www.archaeological.org/sitepreservation/donate http://www.archaeological.org/sitepreservation/donate

Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2015