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Copan Archaeological and Conservation Project

Ancient Copan was the capital of a large multi-ethnic territory from 426 to 822 CE, during the Classic period of Maya civilization. Located in western Honduras, Copan today is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts visitors from all over the world. The Peabody Museum began conducting research at the site in the 1890s. More recently, numerous ongoing archaeological, museum, conservation, and community projects have helped reveal and preserve the diverse history of the region.

Woman leaning in towards a stone sculpture to take a sample
Left: Nereyda Alonso takes a sample to test in the lab.
19th century photo of fallen monument Stela C from Copan Honduras
Right: Stela C condition in 1892. 2004.24.157

Conservation Projects

COEDMAC

The ongoing "Proyecto para la Conservación, Educación y Desarollo para Museos de Copan" (COEDMAC) has been supported by the Peabody Museum (2010–present), and Harvard's David Rockfeller Center for Latin American Studies through the Santander Program for Research and Conservation of Maya Sculpture (2010–2020). The project sustains local Copan staff that collaborate in research and conservation at the archaeological site. It organizes training workshops, and advises the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History on cultural heritage management.

Group in white lab coats around a table in Conservation lab listening to instructor
Left: Conservation workshop in Copan, 2019.
persons leaning over nineteenth century documents in Peabody Museum Archives Department
Right: COEDMAC co-directors consulting 19th century documents about Copan at the Peabody Museum.

Stucco Reburial

The fragile, ancient stucco façades that adorned buildings at Copan prior to the use of stone sculpture, require special conservation care. Stucco conservation specialist Dr. Alejandra Alonso of the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History has collaborated with the Harvard team to supervise the analysis and interventions needed for several façades in Copan.
 
 
white stucco façade decoration
Left: The macaw façade after stabilization. Right: Dr. Alonso and team during its reburial.
  
group in a trench reburying a stucco façade
First to be stabilzed and then reburied was the modeled mythical macaw that adorned the earliest Ballcourt at Copan.  The team's documentation efforts, stabilization interventions, material preparation, and final implementation were implemented under Dr. Alonso's guidance.
Alexandre Tokovining and COEDMAC co-director Adelso Canán, created photogrammetric models at various stages of the process.
wings and chest of a mythical bird in the modeled stucco
3D rendering of Copan, Ballcourt I stucco façade.
 

 

Materials

Preparation of the materials requires ample testing of local resources for the proper limestone mixture to complement the ancient modeled stucco. Then before use, it must be triple washed and dried, and pulverized into powder before use. 

People with yellowish limestone powders in containers
Left: Dr. Alonso, Karina Garcia and Luis Reina discuss preparation of limestone powders.
 Person washing ground stone material in buckets

 

Theree people moving a tarp over grass in the sun with limestone gravel drying
COEDMAC team washing and drying ground limestone and gravel.
Gray gravel washed and dried