Precolumbian Maya sites are constantly changing, as they both naturally deteriorate and are reconstructed over time. I began working with the George F. and Geraldine D. Andrews archive a year ago to supplement my dissertation research on the architectural ornamentation at the Puuc site of Kabah. As part of my project I am assembling a historiography for the site: collecting photographs, descriptions, plans, maps and illustrations of Kabah.

George and Geraldine made several trips to Kabah, the first in 1960. During their earliest visits they were able to photograph the landscape cleared of brush, providing a view of the site not possible to experience today. Photographs in the collection also capture piles of architectural sculpture on the ground as well as larger architectural sculptures (see the Kabah figure in the gallery, which, post-restoration, has been replaced on the façade above eye level). George's detailed notes, measurements, and plans support his photographic records. No other individual has documented buildings in the Maya Lowlands with such accuracy.

I have also found unexpected treasures in the archives. There is an extensive collection of correspondence, copies of conference papers, and at least two unpublished manuscripts on Kabah. George's process becomes more transparent as I follow how he works through problems in his own research. I find something new every time I visit the archive.