[Aztlan] Tortuguero Mon 6 fragments

[Ed Barnhart]

Dear Listeros,

While I was reading about Tortuguero Mon 6, the only text in the Maya world
said to have recorded the date Dec 21, 2012 AD, I learned an important
detail of its story.  According to Sven Gronemeyer's 2006 book "The Maya
Site of Tortuguero, Tabasco, Mexico - Its History and Inscriptions", the
monuments fragments are not all together.  Some are in Villahermosa, others
are in the United States.  

The text section that actually makes up the statement including 2012 is in
three fragments - E, F, and G.  Fragment G was brought to Villahermosa in
1958 (along with fragments A and D), but E and F were first recognized in
the possession of Los Angeles art dealers sometime after the year 2000.
They were sold to a gallery in Boston and then sold to a private collector.
Their current location is unknown!

I have concerns and questions.  First questions - does anyone on our list
actually know where fragments E and F are?  Who owns them now?  I have a
photo of fragments E and F that Mark Van Stone shared with me, but I can't
find a photo of fragment G, only drawings based on Ian Graham's original
drawings.  Does anyone have photos?

Now my concerns - first, how sure are we about the idea that fragments E, F,
and G actually fit with fragment A? If they were found in separate places,
has anyone actually fitted them together?  Considering E and F are in the
possession of private collectors and A is with INAH Tabasco, I doubt it.
Looking at the drawings, the glyphs don't seem to line up right, and
fragments E, F, and G have a border beneath them that does not continue into
fragment A.  In point of fact, we cannot even verify where these fragments
came from.  Graham reported that local informants said the fragments were
found sealing a burial.  However, only some of them made it to Villahermosa
in the 1950's.  The others surfaced in theta USA, in private collections
decades later.  Essentially, they are unprovienenced artifacts.

Let me clarify that I do believe fragment G is a real artifact, and there is
enough text on it alone to believe it refers to the date Dec 21, 2012 AD.
However, I am questioning if it is actually part of Tortuguero Mon 6.  In
fact, Graham originally identified separately, as the only known fragment of
"Mon 7."  I am also questioning the identity of fragments E and F, and
whether they really fit with fragment A.

Given the hype about 2012, these little fragments have actually become quite
important.  Can anyone speak to the concerns I've brought up?  John, I
imagine you have something to say :)

Curious, Ed

PS.  Sorry Aztlan moderators, I know you've had a belly full of 2012.  This
is really an archaeology question, I swear!

Dr. Edwin Barnhart
Director, Maya Exploration Center
7301 Ranch Road 620 N
Suite 155 #284
Austin, Texas 78726
(512) 350-3321