Amanda Hankerson :: Photographer

We also have been investigating one of Palenque's rival citites, Tonina. Because they were in competition with each other, portraits of the rulers from Palenque and heiroglyphic descriptions of their actions appear at Tonina, and vice versa.  Tonina is an exciting place for researchers today, as it was mostly unexcavated before recent decades.  Although only 127 kilometers away from each other, the winding roads and rough terrain made journeys between the sites arduous, both in antiquity and for us today.  Don't forget your Dramamine!

The site of Tonina is organized around a series of steep terraces.

Kaylee is especially fond of the vast collection of portraits of prisoners at Tonina.  Notice that ropes bind this dude's arms behind his back. 

 Travis is nimble--climbing a near-vertical staircase!

Four toes?  Perhaps if you miss your step ...

Here is a replica of one of Tonina's most masterfully carved portraits, of a handsome ruler sporting a headdress shaped like a ferocious centipede. 

During the 19th century the entire site looked like this.  Boring.  Thank the gods for archaeologists. 

This portrait and temple are at Palenque.  Paying attention?  This blog post was supposed to be about Tonina.

Back at Tonina ... Kaylee and Travis admire the countryside from the summit. 

Kaylee can't believe how high up Travis is. 

Palenque interlude ... the Cross Group of temples.  All of these are probably tombs. 

Historical comparison: the drawing above of a very Egyptian-looking temple shrine is actually a radical reconstruction of the pile of rocks below. 

Is it wrong to have Ik' windows on a bathroom?  No.  Astute readers will remember that Ik' refers to ventilation.  Keep it fresh.

Left: Palace at Palenque

Right: Temple of the Inscriptions

In the Palace

View of the East Court

This "t" shaped window takes the form of an Ik' sign, which means breath or wind.

The only person hotter than us at Palenque is this guy mowing the lawn.

Looking for spolia

Kaylee GPSing the corner of the Palace.

One of the many groundskeepers at Palenque.

The head of an unknown person reused in the construction of a staircase.

One of the sculpture in the East Court.

Left: Drawing by the Count/Duke (he used both titles but held neither) Jean Francois Maximilian de Waldeck in 1830's

Right: A view of the tower in 2010

Travis and Kaylee take a look at the map of Mérida.

Cathedral of Saint Ildefonso

Cathedral of Saint Ildefonso

Church of the Third Order of Jesus

Left: Engraving after a photo by Désiré Charnay from Ancient Cities of the New World, 1887.

Right: Mérida in 2010.

The Canton Palace containing the National Institute of Archaeology and History's museum in Merida, Yucatan.

Inside the The Canton Palace.

Casa Frederick Catherwood in Mérida

Downloading photos, taking notes and studing maps at the hotel. In the morning, we will embark on an eight hour bus ride to Palenque.

Why are we in Mexico?

Because portraits are some of the most provocative, propagandistic, and underexplored works of fine art we (Kaylee Spencer, Amanda Hankerson, and Travis Nygard) have collaborated to instigate the Maya Portrait Project. This multi-year initiative uses new techniques of documentation, analysis, and presentation to deepen our understanding of Precolumbian people.

For Season 1—which began two days ago—we are focusing on one of the most grandiose Maya sites—Palenque.  The site is especially important because of a rich array of figural sculpture and hieroglyphic texts—many true masterpieces of workmanship—that have been spared the ravages of looting.

To prepare ourselves for the excursion we made a pilgrimage to the Rothko Chapel—a place dedicated to an intercultural understanding of humanity—and partook in an afternoon of reflective meditation.  Before going to Palenque we revisited objects under the care of the National Institute of Archaeology and History in Merida, Yucatan.  And because we are interested in the enduring importance of Maya portraits for later generations, we studied the complete set of rare hand-colored prints by Frederick Catherwood that are in a private collection in that city.

Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas

On-site documentation of Palenque’s portraits begins tomorrow.  Stay tuned for updates.