Chichen Itza

In 2007, the Oakland, California-based Chabot Space and Science Center, in conjunction with InSight Digital and ArtsLab, embarked upon a mission to produce high definition laser and photographic data from the ruins of Chich Itz's civic core for its ambitious Maya Skies Project. CyArk was called upon to spearhead the mission for its expertise in the digital documentation and heritage fields. In October of the same year CyArk assembled a documentation team to be sent to the Yucat, in conjunction with Michigan partners Metco Services. Over the course of three weeks, a highly detailed data set was produced which included terrestrial LiDAR, close-range laser scanning, panoramic photography, HDR photography, and traditional survey. Dozens of scans were produced from a Leica Geosystems Scan Station laser scanner, including 37 scans of the Caracol structure alone, which was the most complex structure and the main focus of the project. Six other important structures in the civic core were also thoroughly scanned, including El Castillo. A followup expedition was conducted by Epic Scan to record the Balankanche Cave. The entire project was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The ancient Maya ruins of Chich Itz, located on Mexico's Yucat Peninsula about 50 miles inland south of the Caribbean coastline, represent the remains of one of the largest and most powerful city states of the pre-Columbian Americas. While the fully-restored monumental core of Chich Itz's archaeological zone covers approximately 5 square kilometers and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, the estimated extent of dense urban development at the city's peak is thought to have reached 25 square kilometers. However, much of these surrounding ruins have not been excavated and are currently covered with a mixture of dense forest and farms. Chich Itz translates as "At the Mouth of the Well of the Itza" in Yucatec Mayan, a reference to the nearby Sacred Cenote, or sinkhole, where offerings were made to various deities and from which the city derived much of its water supply. Chich Itz was a cosmopolitan city that contained monuments and buildings in a range of different architectural styles. This range is reflective of both local Yucatecan styles and influence from several prominent Mesoamerican cultural groups and clans that were drawn to the city as a regional center during its long history of occupation. External Project Link: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/OgLSnnqWE9B_IQ Additional Info Link: https://cyark.org/projects/chichen-itza

2007年，总部位于加利福尼亚州奥克兰的查伯特太空与科学中心（Chabot Space and Science Center）联合InSight Digital与ArtsLab，启动了一项任务，旨在为其雄心勃勃的玛雅天空项目（Maya Skies Project）采集奇琴伊察（Chich Itz）城市核心遗址的高清激光与摄影数据。赛阿卡（CyArk）凭借其在数字记录与文化遗产保护领域的专业积淀，受邀牵头执行该任务。
同年10月，赛阿卡（CyArk）联合密歇根州合作方Metco Services组建了一支专项记录团队，前往尤卡坦半岛开展作业。历经三周的野外作业，团队最终生成一套高精度数据集，涵盖地面激光雷达（LiDAR）、近程激光扫描、全景摄影、高动态范围（HDR）摄影以及传统测绘等多种采集手段。
团队使用徕卡地理系统（Leica Geosystems）Scan Station激光扫描仪完成了数十次扫描作业，仅卡拉科尔（Caracol）建筑的扫描就达37次——该结构是项目中最复杂的单体建筑，也是本次任务的核心关注对象。城市核心区内的另外6处重要建筑也得到了全面扫描，其中包括卡斯蒂略金字塔（El Castillo）。
后续，Epic Scan团队开展了补充考察，对巴兰卡切洞穴（Balankanche Cave）进行了数字化记录。
本次项目的顺利实施，得益于美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）提供的专项资助。
奇琴伊察（Chich Itz）为古玛雅遗址，坐落于墨西哥尤卡坦半岛，距离加勒比海岸线以南内陆约50英里，是前哥伦布时期美洲规模最大、实力最强的城邦遗址之一。尽管奇琴伊察考古区中经过全面修复的纪念性核心区域占地约5平方公里，是全球最热门的旅游景点之一，但据估算，该城邦鼎盛时期的密集城区总面积可达25平方公里。
但该区域周边的大量遗存尚未经发掘，目前被茂密森林与农田交错覆盖。
在尤卡坦玛雅语中，奇琴伊察（Chich Itz）的含义为‘伊扎人圣井之口’，这一名称指代附近的圣井（Sacred Cenote，即落水洞）：古玛雅人曾在此向各类神祇献祭，同时该井也是城邦的主要水源地。
奇琴伊察曾是一座多元化城邦，境内拥有多种建筑风格的纪念性建筑与民用设施。这种建筑风格的多样性，既体现了当地尤卡坦本土建筑风格的特色，也反映了多个知名中美洲文化族群与部落的影响——在城邦漫长的存续期内，这些族群与部落纷纷迁居至这座区域中心城市。
项目外部链接：https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/OgLSnnqWE9B_IQ
补充信息链接：https://cyark.org/projects/chichen-itza