Assembling the Mayan Mural Fragments from San Bartolo, Guatemala

FAIN: RZ-51575-13

Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-1698)
Heather Hurst (Project Director: December 2012 to May 2018)

The reassembly, interpretation, and dissemination of early Mayan murals discovered among the first-century construction rubble at the Ixim temple at San Bartolo, Guatemala. (30 months)

Recently discovered Maya murals at San Bartolo, Guatemala revealed an elaborate artistic program of mythology and texts from the Preclassic period. However, the majority of these artworks were intentionally broken into fragments and concealed by the ancient Maya. The San Bartolo Mural Fragments Project proposes a multidisciplinary three-year collaborative research program, Murals in Motion, to reassemble wall paintings from fragments recovered in archaeological excavations. The project will re-discover the lost murals from the Ixim temple (ca.100 B.C.) by piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of over 3000 fragments of painted figures, deities, texts, and animals. Through iconographic, epigraphic, and materials analysis, the project will address: What roles did image, myth, and art-making play in the process of urban growth and early state formation in the Maya lowlands? Murals in Motion balances research, cultural heritage preservation, and education/outreach in its design and outcomes.

Associated Products

Maya Mural Art as Collaboration: Verifying Artists Hands at San Bartolo, Guatemala through Pigment and Plaster Composition. (Book Section)
Title: Maya Mural Art as Collaboration: Verifying Artists Hands at San Bartolo, Guatemala through Pigment and Plaster Composition.
Author: Caitlin O'Grady
Author: Heather Hurst
Editor: S. McFadden
Editor: S. Lepinski
Abstract: This chapter reports on the investigation and interpretation of wall paintings recovered from the Late Preclassic period (300 B.C.E – 300 C.E.) Maya site of San Bartolo in Guatemala, as well as provides insights into artistic attribution and understanding of workshop practices in the archaeological past. Through both stylistic and compositional analysis of the murals, multiple artistic hands are identified and confirmed. This integrated analysis characterizes the painting technique and the development of figural features; examines wall preparation through the application and finishing of plaster; and studies the spatial distribution of specific colorant hue compositional groups. Reliance on multiple lines of evidence enables a comprehensive reconstruction of collaborative workshop practice and understanding of artistic identity, while at the same time informs future conservation of the in situ murals.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Archaeological Institute of America
Book Title: Beyond Iconography: Materials, Methods, and Meaning in Ancient Surface Decoration. Selected Papers in Ancient Art and Architecture

The Black, The Red: A Study of Two Maya Mural Pigments from the Petén Region (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Black, The Red: A Study of Two Maya Mural Pigments from the Petén Region
Author: Caitlin O'Grady
Author: Heather Hurst
Abstract: Collaboration has been integral to the study of the San Bartolo murals since it was first discovered in 2001. On the initial trip to document and contextualize the murals within the yet unknown site of San Bartolo, archaeologists (2), epigrapher, artist, and conservation scientist all brought their expertise to focus on the stunning painting peeking out of construction fill. For me, collaborative research opened an entirely new line of inquiry regarding how art was made, in addition to what the images were and asking why they were created. This paper will briefly summarize two results that are the product of collaborative practice: the application of a scientific lens to verify artist’s hand and distinctive pigments used to mark symbolic significance.
Date: 04/01/2017
Conference Name: Society of American Archaeology

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