Web Map as Time Machine Continued from page 67 where the story took place. Lienzos were not meant to be studied silently by individuals but were performed aloud for groups by a narrator who brought to life the events shown on the map. The story was recited to audiences assembled at market days and other community gatherings. A Uniquely Important Map Dating from circa 1530 to 1540, the Lienzo de Quauhquechollan tells a story of great adventure—the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. It is an important historical document for many reasons. Not only is it the first known map of Guatemala, but it also provides the only firsthand account by indigenous people of this military campaign. This account changed previously held beliefs about the conquest of Guatemala. The lienzo illustrates how the Quauhquecholteca of central Mexico, who viewed the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Jorge de Alvarado as an opportunity for enhancing their own power base, allied with his forces to conquer Guatemala. The Quauhquecholtecan artists recorded this triumph on 15 rectangular pieces of cloth. Together, these panels show selected elements, both events and locations, that these artists felt would help listeners best experience the story. The existing map is 10 feet, 6 inches wide by 8 feet, 5 inches long. However, the lienzo did not survive intact. A portion of the right side of the lienzo—perhaps as much as one-third of the original—was cut off. A Hidden Treasure The original Lienzo de Quauhquechollan had been for many years (and remains) part of the collection at the Museo Casa de Alfeñique in Puebla, Mexico. However, its significance was not initially appreciated because the location of the events depicted had been misidentified. While its pictographs clearly show the activities of Spanish conquistadors, it is Guatemala—not an unidentified area in central Mexico—where these events occurred. Florine Asselbergs, a Dutch archaeologist working on her doctoral thesis, correctly located these events. Her 2004 book, Conquered Conquistadors: The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan: A Nahua Vision of the Conquest of Guatemala, is based on her thesis and recounts her findings. Understanding this type of map with its nonlinear representation of events was difficult for western researchers. Identifying locations and deciphering the pictographs were also challenging because the lienzo was so worn; faded; discolored; and, in places, torn. However, attempting to physically repair the map's fragile cloth would likely distort or destroy it. 68 ArcUser Fall 2009 The Swipe tool shows the Lienzo de Quauhquechollan as it appears now and as it did when it was first painted nearly half a millennium ago. The Flip tool exchanges the display of the modern map with a scene-by-scene description of events on the lienzo without requiring users to open another window or leave the current one. Restoring without Destroying As part of its Explorations on History program, the UFM, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, gathered a team drawn from many disciplines to digitally restore the Lienzo de Quauhquechollan. The project, cosponsored by Banco G&T Continental, brought together experts in anthropology, archaeology, epigraphy, ethnobotany, various digital technologies, graphic design, history, lighting, photography, storytelling, and textiles. The project's goal was not limited to restoring the original map digitally. Using the Internet and GIS, the project would make the lienzo accessible to both researchers and the public so its secrets could be unraveled. Almost nine months of intensive work has resulted in four digital layers that progressively restored the map to its original appearance by eliminating stains and blurs, reproducing the textures of the original canvas, restoring the colors produced by the natural dyes, and reinstating the black outlines of pictograph elements. From these restored layers, the team created several vehicles for telling the map's story. Embodying the spirit of the original lienzo performance, a narrated and animated feature adds movement and sound to the images of the pictographs. It features an original score based on pre-Hispanic and 16th century Spanish music. An exhibit about the map has attracted more than 18,000 visitors to UFM's www.esri.com