Graphic and Photographic Documentation - Reed College

the Governors, and Palomas Group at Uxmal; Palace Group at Kabah; Palace at
Sayil; and Palace and Portal Vault at Labná. In these she provides reasons for some
of the details of her reconstructions.
In a few instances she does not avoid aesthetic judgments. In the most extended
example, she writes of the Codz Poop at Kabah:
“In view of the tremendous amount of skilled labor involved in carving so many
individual pieces of stone, the artistic effect achieved is disappointing, and one regrets
that the originality of the designer was not equal to the craftsmanship of the artisan.
The highly cultured and pious aristocracy of the Maya Old Empire would have
scorned such baroque ostentation, the product of a later, more secular, civilization
seeking to impress the populace with a spectacular display of technical skill. There is
some indication that the building was designed to have two stories. . . . Perhaps the
builders themselves were discouraged by the results of their efforts by the time the
mask façade was completed, and terminated the extravagance by substituting a
simple roof comb for the intended second story. This change of plan may be in a
measure responsible for the ineffectual pretensions of this building, which was
obviously meant to dominate the composition of the group.” For a contrasting
aesthetic judgment, see Stierlin.
Ranney, Edward
Stonework of the Maya. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Pres, 1974.
R
The author-photographer’s dramatic, high-contrast, black-white photographs
demonstrate his claim that “a photograph, like an archaeological artifact itself, has the
unique potential for providing an intensely evocative expression of an ancient culture”
(p. viii). There are 76 photographs of 11 sites, 13 photos of which are of Uxmal,
Kabah, Sayil, and Labná.
Rickard, Constantine George
The Ruins of Mexico, Vol. I (no later volumes were published). London: H. E.
Shrimpton,1910.
This large format volume is rarely referenced, presumably because its text is brief and
standard, occasionally even amateurish. However, there are about 250 valuable greyscale
photographs, 8.8 x 13.2 cm (3 1/2 x 5 3/16 inch.), many showing unusual views
or details, and all taken before major restorations of the mid-20 th century. These
include 39 of Uxmal, 5 of Labná, and 1 of Sayil, showing major structures in slightly
overgrown condition and a few of graffiti and of small freestanding sculptures.
Although the title is accurate, nearly all the photos are of Maya structures.
Robertson, Merle Greene (see also Greene, Merle)
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