A 3D Exploration of Vision, Sound, and Movement in the Ancient Maya City of Copan

FAIN: FEL-268417-20

Heather Marie Richards-Rissetto
University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Lincoln, NE 68503-2427)

Preparation of a digital publication with three-dimensional reconstructions and immersive virtual reality experiences of the Mayan city Copan, an archaeological site in Honduras dating from the 5th to 9th centuries CE.

3D digital tools and methods are changing scholarly investigations and management practices in cultural heritage. “Lost” cultural landscapes are challenging to study, as they require innovative approaches combining the tangible and intangible; however, research is not the only challenge—digital publication and digital data preservation are in many ways even greater challenges. This project employs geographic information systems, 3D modeling, and immersive virtual reality to explore vision, sound, and movement among the ancient Maya to understand how multi-sensory experiences shape urban interactions in the past and present. This project addresses two keys challenges: (1) It employs 3D tools to design web-based multi-sensory experiences to engage broad audiences with scholarly research on ancient places and (2) reuses 3D digital data in innovative ways to promote data preservation and access.