Tonina, Chiapas, Mexico

3D Model

3D Model of the ancient Maya site of Tonina created from a series of handheld digital photographs taken during a helicopter flight in 2005, sponsored by the Chiapas Board of Tourism. These photographs were not originally intended for photogrammetry, but their number and overlap was sufficient for the program Altizure to generate this model of the landscape. While all vegetation could not be removed, much of it was smothed down using Adobe Medium in Virtual Reality.

Tonina was a massive Maya capital that was aligned with its distant neighbor Calakmul and at war with nearby Palenque. The massive pyramid is one of the tallest in the Maya area, built into the side of a natural mountain and rising in several terraces. The grand plaza in front of the acropolis is artificially leveled and has a sunken ballcourt to its side.