Copán Archive and Database Project

Sculpture Catalogue

The second area of focus was the Sculpture Catalogue. The catalogue was initiated in 1978 by Claude F. Baudez and Marie France Fauvet during PAC I, and now has over 28,000 entries of primarily architectural sculpture catalogued by the Copán Mosaics Project and Proyecto Arqueológico Acrópolis Copán (directed by William L. Fash from 1985-present). The author has been involved with the CPN Sculpture Catalogue since 1978, first as Project Artist, and then additionally as Sculpture Coordinator for the Copán Mosaics Project and PAAC. When the Copán Archive and Database Project began, 23,000 sculpture sheets by CPN number were already entered in the database (a process begun under my supervision in 1993). Janeth Cueva, who did the work in 1993, completed the entries of the remaining 5,000 sculptures in the first half of the project (Figure 4). She then began complimentary storage inventories of the new shelves in Sculpture Bodega V, and photo inventories. Although this sounds relatively complete, it should be noted that the images have yet to be scanned, and the entire database requires refined checking and additional input on motifs, locations, etc. by me before it is completely operational. The database will be modified and refined in the coming year. (See example Sculpture Catalogue database.)

During the project, two sub-lists of sculpture material were generated using the existing database for researchers on current projects in Copán. These were for material from Structures 10L-22 and 10L-16. As this material is further analyzed by students and researchers the database will be updated. For example, Jennifer Ahlfeldt’s project funded by FAMSI for the Façade Reconstruction of Temple 22, will be one of the first sub-sets to add images directly into the database. Other structure-specific sculpture studies that are in progress are Strs. 10L-9, -10, -21, -21a, -22a, -26, -32, -33, -41. The database will continue to provide an initial foundation for these sub-sets as the analyses continue. It will also be a useful inventory tool for IHAH collection management, especially for bodega storage control and museum exhibit loans. Presently, the Sculpture Catalogue is managed by Reyna Flores (CRIA Library and Archive Project) and Hector Eliud Guerra (Artist and Conservation trainee on the Hieroglyphic Stairway Study and Conservation Project).

Sculpture shelving was provided for portions of Sculpture Bodega V, a large wing for sculpture storage added on to the CRIA central structure in 1995 by W.L. Fash and the Proyecto Arqueológico Acropolis Copán (PAAC). These shelves also provided artifact and sculpture storage for several recent Operations pertaining to graduate student thesis investigations, including OPs 48, 58, 59 and 60, several of which have been funded by FAMSI in the past few years.

Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Page

Return to top of page