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STELLA NOVARESEARCH PROJECTS
Chichén Itzá

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Governance, Methodology & Evidence

Chichén Itzá HeritageView Project

We distinguish evidence, interpretation, and uncertainty at every step. Our governance model integrates scholarly review, community insight, and institutional oversight while documenting methods, data sources, and revisions to ensure transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement of our heritage knowledge base.

♧Shared reviewMulti-disciplinary and community review at every stage.◇Methodological transparencyOpen methods, documented workflows, and reproducible processes.♙Cultural accountabilityRespect for heritage values, living knowledge, and cultural protocols.◷Revision historyAll changes versioned, traceable, and linked to evidence.
Stella Nova researchers at Chichén Itzá

Project status

Research in progressPilot developmentField validationPartner collaboration

1 Governance framework

Stella Nova Research Stewards & Project Leads

Set standards, oversee quality, and ensure alignment with mission and ethics.

Scholarly reviewers

Archaeologists, historians, and domain experts provide independent peer review.

Governance
& evidence
frameworkTransparent · Accountable · Inclusive · Evidence-based
Cultural & community input

Maya communities, cultural advisors, and knowledge holders guide interpretation.

Institutional partner review

Museums, universities, and heritage organizations provide oversight.

2 Evidence standards

  • Primary archaeological evidenceExcavation records, artifact catalogues, high-resolution scans, measured drawings, and verified observations.
  • Interpretive synthesisSynthesized from multiple evidence sources and peer-reviewed scholarship.
  • Plausible reconstructionHypothesized reconstructions or models based on partial evidence and informed inference.
  • Open questions & uncertaintyTopics lacking sufficient evidence or with active debate.

3 Methodological note View full PDF ↗

Chichen_Itza_Methodological_Framework_v1.2.pdf 1 / 24　−　＋　↓
  1. Introduction
  2. Evidence Taxonomy
  3. Data Acquisition
  4. 3D Modeling Workflow
  5. Spatial Mapping Standards
  6. Interpretation Protocols
  7. Review & Validation
  8. Revisions & Versioning
  9. Ethics & Cultural Protocols
  10. Limitations & Uncertainty
Methodological Framework for the Chichén Itzá HeritageView Project

4 Reconstruction decision log

Monument / areaIssue / questionCurrent decisionConfidenceReviewerUpdated
SN-HVP-CI-001Evidence and interpretation separationEvery public and operational experience must disclose evidence sources, interpretive synthesis, plausible reconstruction, and open uncertainty as separate layers.highStella Nova Project Governance2026-07-27 00:30:16
View full decision log →

5 Revision history

  • v1.2Methodological framework updated; uncertainty taxonomy and decision-log synchronization added.
  • v1.1LiDAR vegetation model and Great Ball Court roofing decision updated.
  • v1.0Initial governance and methodology framework published.
View all revisions →

6 Rights & licensing

All project content is provided under open, non-commercial licenses that protect cultural heritage and support responsible research and education.

  • CC BY-NC 4.0Content license · attribution · non-commercial
  • CC BY 4.0Data license · attribution
  • ODbL 1.0Database license · open database
View license details →

7 Research community comments View all comments

M

Dr. Maria del Carmen León Excellent framework for distinguishing evidence from interpretation. The decision log is particularly valuable.

D

Prof. David L. Webster Appreciate the cultural accountability protocols and inclusion of living knowledge perspectives.

A

Dr. Ana Luisa Vela The uncertainty taxonomy aligns well with best practices in archaeological visualization.

8 Source corpus summary

Archaeological reports 1423D & photogrammetry scans 366Codices & historical documents 27Ethnographic references 61Internal technical docs 94
View evidence corpus library →

9 Risk & ethics overview

  • Cultural sensitivity & consent
  • Interpretive bias mitigation
  • Data privacy & site protection
  • Documentation of uncertainty
View ethics protocols →

10 Review & validation status

Reviews completed
54
Across all workstreams
Pending reviews
18
Requiring attention
Validation checks
42%
Field & lab completed
Next review cycle
May 30
Scheduled
View review dashboard →