MEXICO CITY.- After decades spent in careful custody and years of meticulous conservation work, Stela 46 from El Palmar is now on public view for the very first time at the Museo de Arquitectura Maya, Baluarte de la Soledad. The unveiling marks a significant moment for Maya archaeology in the region, bringing a powerful Late Preclassic monument out of storage and into the public eye.
Dating to the 1st century CE, the limestone stela originates from El Palmar, an important archaeological site in southern Campeche. The monument was transferred to the city in the 1980s to ensure its preservation, but its fragile condition meant it remained largely unseen while specialists worked to stabilize and study it.
The recent restoration is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between experts from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) in Campeche and the Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía. Archaeologists, conservators, and researchers combined their expertise to address the challenges posed by the local limestone, which is particularly vulnerable to environmental deterioration.
“Working with stone from southern Campeche is always complex,” explained Adriana Velázquez Morlet, director of INAH Campeche. “Its natural composition makes it susceptible to both internal and external damage, which complicates the preservation of carved imagery and inscriptions.” New photogrammetry techniques, she added, are already opening fresh possibilities for studying the stela’s iconography and epigraphy in greater detail.
In a gesture that echoed ancient Maya practices, the transport of the monument to the museum followed a symbolic approach inspired by tz’ahpaj—ceremonial moments when stelae were moved using ropes during events of political and ritual importance. Before the move, specialists carried out a full 3D digital record and environmental diagnostics, monitoring temperature, humidity, and the stone’s surface.
Once inside the museum, the operation became a feat of engineering and conservation. Using pulleys, slings, and a specially designed reversible base, the nearly four-ton monument was carefully raised into position. Cleaning, structural consolidation, and subtle volumetric and chromatic reintegration followed, all guided by strict archaeological conservation standards.
According to Isabel Medina-González of ENCRyM, the project also established a detailed baseline record that will allow the stela to be monitored for years to come. For students involved in the process, the monument became a real-world classroom, offering hands-on experience with one of the largest pieces they are likely to encounter.
Measuring 3.64 meters in total height, Stela 46 also tells a story through its form. Unlike later Maya stelae with carefully standardized shapes, this monument retains the raw proportions of the original stone block, a sign of its early date and evolving sculptural traditions.
For conservator María Fernanda Escalante Hernández, the exhibition is about more than technical achievement. “It’s a way of giving dignity back to important cultural elements that often remain hidden from public view,” she said.
Now standing upright in the Maya Architecture Museum, Stela 46 offers visitors a rare and tangible connection to the political, artistic, and ceremonial world of the ancient Maya—one that has waited centuries to be fully seen.
