PRASBX investigates the material aspects of ancient Maya life—hosting a variety archaeological research projects from settlement patterns to hydrology to household economies to scribal pedagogy. We have learned a great deal about the socio-political history of San Bartolo and Xultun through the last 20 years of archaeological investigations, yet we continue to make new discoveries, such as the newly discovered acropolis we call Xulbe. Our current research initiatives explore inter-site settlement and anthropogenic impacts on local ecology, complemented by a comprehensive radiocarbon dating effort. Ongoing research continues to bring old and new methodologies to bear on furthering scholarship of lowland Maya communities in Petén.

Building on previous applications of remote sensing and paleoclimate studies on site, PRASBX is developing new collaborative initiatives illuminating histories of anthropogenic intervention in the immediate region. We are synthesizing lidar (courtesy of Pacunam Lidar Initiative), previously collected ecological data from the cities of San Bartolo and Xultun, and new data on biological diversity, water resources, and landscape attributes of the intra-site and inter-site area. This study aims to construct a local ecological history to better understand multi-scalar effects of environmental change on human adaptation and resilience over an extended time-period in one of Petén’s earliest urban regions. 

Conservation is central to our project’s past and future. Since 2002, PRASBX has been continually monitoring the San Bartolo murals and the environmental conditions of the mural chamber. Stabilization of the chamber and its access tunnels involved an intensive 10-year effort by an international team of conservators, architectural engineers, materials scientists, and local masons. The murals are in an excellent state of preservation, yet this is a delicate environmental balance and the murals are threatened by the introduction of biological organisms and changing conditions. Conservation at SBX focuses on murals, remarkable sculpted friezes, and over 20 stelae on site, as well as collaborating with MUNAE to curate the 7000 fragments of mural painting collected during archaeological investigations.

PRASBX collaborates with individuals and families from several communities in the Petén including San Andrés, San Miguel la Palotada, Caoba, Cruce Dos Aguadas, Dolores, Dos Aguadas, Macanche, Machaquila, and Uaxactún. We seek to address the interests and concerns of these project members in our conservation and research objectives. Local groups, including the Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén, the Asociación Civil Árbol Verde, the Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, and the Organización Manejo y Conservación en Uaxactún, are valued partners as we look ahead at continued research and site protection. Current initiatives include mural biota, accessible educational materials on SBX, and a long-term site management plan.

The San Bartolo-Xultun region offers an unparalleled view of ancient Maya visual media through time. In situ murals, architectural friezes, diverse ceramic and lithic artifacts, and monumental sculpture spanning more than a millennium offer key clues for the origins of Maya writing, trends in political representation, and the development of scribal practice and artistic method. This rich corpus of in situ works and ritual deposits requires detailed documentation through drawing, photography, and digital capture, as well as ongoing protection of artworks on site. In addition to scholarly interpretation, we are exploring new methods for providing increased access to these visual media through videos and digital models that sustain education and research.