3D SURVEY OF PRE-HISPANIC WALL PAINTING WITH HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAMMETRY

Abstract

Abstract. The survey and representation of pre-hispanic wall painting use to be done with traditional photography, we describe the difficulties and limitations found in this approach and we show another solution to improve the quality of this documentation. It relies on the use of photogrammetry and MicMac program. The calculated orthophotos have an accurate geometry, they are high resolution and the three-dimensional models present a high level of detail. We obtain a complete representation which satisfy the requirements of art historians and conservators to study the meanings of the paintings and their conservation state. Furthermore, as this improvement is achieved by following a particular strategy for the photo sessions and the mathematical processing on the images, it doesn't need the acquisition of additional equipment. We explain how we applied the method in the registration of a structure covered with pictorial representations that was discovered in the archaeological site of Las Higueras, México.