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Archaeologists Permanently Place Stone Slab of Maya Ruler Pakal on Sarcophagus (Score: 1)
by davidmorgan on Friday, 11 February 2011
More than 1,300 years after an entourage accompanied the mortal remains of the Maya ruler K’inich Janaab’ Pakal into the crypt at Temple of the Inscriptions, in the ancient city of Palenque, experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) conducted the definitive placement of the slab that covers the sarcophagus.
This work is part of the Palenque Archaeological Zone Program, in Chiapas, which includes consolidation of Temple XX, restoration of Casa C at The Palace, and other minor maintenance tasks at the archaeological site. The recently updated collections are being moved to a new warehouse, while all the information is being gathered in a database.
The hieroglyphic inscriptions of Palenque narrate that the Maya dignitary, also known as Pakal II, passed away on August 28th 683. His rest was interrupted a thousand years later by Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhulllier, who, after 4 years of excavations, discovered the funerary chamber on June 12th 1952.
Nine stucco warriors surrounded, as guardians, the extraordinary slab, sculpted over a monolithic sarcophagus. This enormous slab -2.2 meters wide and 3.6 long, with 7 tons in weight- was elevated in the 1950’s to explore the interior of the sepulcher where the remains of the Maya ruler rest.
Since the massive visit to the precinct provoked excessive humidity and high temperature in the tomb, it was closed to the public in 2004. It was also considered the appropriateness of substituting the metallic plaques that supported the slab, since they presented corrosion.
In 2008, INAH, through its National Coordination of Cultural Heritage (CNCPC), backed up an interdisciplinary project designed to define the conservation state of the slab and the other goods at the crypt: stucco reliefs, flattening and steps among other things, which implied a detailed register of conservation, architectural and archaeological aspects.
Specialists from different instances of INAH, such as the National Coordination of Archaeology, the National Coordination of Conservation, the Sub-direction of Laboratories and Academic Support, and the Palenque Archaeological Zone collaborated; the support provided by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) through its Institute of Engineering was invaluable.
Based on documentary check, high definition photography, analog and digital archaeological drawing and other techniques, a commemorative publication is projected by INAH, which goes beyond the already published information by archaeologists such as Alberto Ruz Lhulllier and Merle Greene.
One of the remarkable aspects of the project of the funerary space conservation is the new registration of the slab of Pakal II with the penetration radar device. This state of the art technology, owned by INAH, allowed knowing if the slab presented fissures or other anomalies that would compromise the removal of the metallic plaques that supported it.
According to the scan conducted by Jose Ortega Ramirez, PhD, from the INAH Geophysics Laboratory, it was concluded that the slab –made out of a single block of sedimentary rock of a thickness that goes from 245 to 290 millimeters- does not present fractures but its northeastern corner presents a high concentration of humidity.
With this information, in July 2010 the metallic beams were substituted with wooden ones while waiting for the report of the INAH Council of Archaeology about the convenience of introducing new stainless steel beams, or place in its original location the slab, since the remains of Pakal have been extensively studied and there are plenty of samples, so it can be permanently closed.
Maneuvers supervised by restorer Rogelio Rivero Chong, sub director at the INAH office of Conservation of the Cultural Heritage, and Abraham Roberto Sanchez Ramirez, chief of the Laboratory of Structures and Material at the Institute of Engineering of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) took place between July and October 2010.
The metallic sheet under the slab was not directly supported by the slab: the team headed by Alberto Ruz placed mortar bearings between the metallic beams and the slab to avoid oxide to be in contact with the Prehispanic monument.
To remove the 4 beams that measure 135 centimeters long by 120 wide, a gaming articulation was implemented with hydraulic jacks and wedges. In their place, robust wooden beams were set, in order to provide better support than the metallic sheets.
The crypt was protected with a tubular structure and agglomerate wood panels to avoid contact with the stucco reliefs. The stone slab, the sarcophagus, as well as the floor and steps, were covered with layers of synthetic cloth, polyethilene foam and geotextile.
The INAH Council of Archaeology resolved to cover the sarcophagus in a definitive way, approving the maneuver to lower the carved slab of Pakal to its original place. It will remain suspended on wooden beams, 90 centimeters over the surface of the sarcophagus.
Read more, with a photo in Art Daily:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44442
Submitted by coldrum.
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