Memorias Frágiles- La Expedición Arqueológica
Wolf or dog head ceramic effigy vessel, found near Structure 32, by Marshall Saville and John Owens, 1892. PM 92-49-20/C183
Structure 32 is the dominant building of what is now interpreted to be the royal residential area south of the Copan acropolis. Excavation photo by Marshall Saville, 1892. PM 2004.24.5
Excavations of Structure 20, viewed from Structure 16, photo by Marshall Saville, 1891–1892. PM 2004.24.186, joins with PM 2004.24.185
General view of excavations of (left to right) Structures 22, 21, and 21A, East Court looking northeast. Structures 20 (next image) and 21 are no longer visible today as they were destroyed by the destructive actions of the river. PM 2004.24.185
On the first Peabody Museum Copan expedition in 1891–92, Marshall Saville photographed this remarkable feature from multiple angles, including this systematic sequence of front-on views along the river cut’s full course. PM 2004.24.51
Copan Acropolis, Section 2 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.52, joins with PM 2004.24.51 and PM 2004.24.53
Copan Acropolis, Section 3 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.53, joins with PM 2004.24.52 and PM 2004.24.54
Copan Acropolis, Section 4 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.54, joins with PM 2004.24.53 and PM 2004.24.55
Copan Acropolis, Section 5 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.55, joins with PM 2004.24.54 and PM 2004.24.56
Copan Acropolis, Section 6 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.56, joins with PM 2004.24.55 and PM 2004.24.57
Copan Acropolis, Section 7 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.57, joins with PM 2004.24.56 and PM 2004.24.58
Copan Acropolis, Section 8 of riverfront, photographed by Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.58, joins with PM 2004.24.57
The Copan River on a direct line into the acropolis construction as seen from standing on Structure 20 along the top edge of the cut. The river's undercutting action is what caused these sections of the ruins to collapse and be swept away. PM 2004.24.177
Looking north by northwest at the river cut into the 120-meter-long masonry construction of the Copan Acropolis, photo by Marshall Saville, 1891-1892. PM 2004.24.66
This photograph shows the Principal Group of ruins in 1891 with all but a small stand of trees cleared and excavations just beginning on the prominent pyramidal buildings, photo by Marshall Saville, 1891–92. PM 2004.24.141
La fascinación de los Estados Unidos en el Siglo Diecinueve por el patrimonio cultural de Latino América creció simultáneamente con sus intereses económicos y políticos en el área. Cuando el director del Museo Peabody, Frederick Putnam, envió la primera expedición a Copán en 1891, tanto los eruditos como el público en general, estaban intrigados por la antigua escritura, escultura y arquitectura Maya.
Los jóvenes exploradores de la expedición estaban escasamente preparados para el medio ambiente tropical y las diferencias culturales que iban a encontrar. El entusiasmo inicial, a veces truncado por enfermedades y hasta por la muerte, hace admirable el hecho que regresaran con resultados de esa expedición.
Los 600 negativos en vidrio, que produjeron acreditaron al Museo Peabody y a la universidad de Harvard como los precursores de la arqueología y etnología Maya y centroamericana.
A pesar de que se imprimieron un sin número de álbumes fotográficos de los negativos, a menudo ni los nombres de los arqueólogos ni la identidad de loos colaboradores locales fueron claramente registrados con sus fotografías. Recientemente, mediante investigación de archivos y de entrevistas personales, se ha logrado identificar a algunos de ellos y recobrar pequeños trozos de la historia y arqueología de Copán.