Visual Boundaries in Sacred Maya Heritage: A Reflective Approach

The issue explores how visual practices shape, mediate, and limit engagements with sacred Maya heritage sites. Drawing on conversations with Kaqchikel ajq’ija’ (ritual specialists) and photographic research conducted at Iximche’ and community altars in Tecpán, Guatemala, the essay examines the role of photography in ceremonies where humans, ancestors, places, objects, animals, and spiritual entities are entangled. Adopting a post-humanist perspective, it understands heritage not as static archaeological remains but as a dynamic network of relations across time, environment, and more-than-human agencies. By reflecting on what can be shown, what must remain invisible, and what is ethically withheld from representation, the contribution critically addresses visual documentation as both a method and an agent in heritage-making, foregrounding absence, consent, and relational responsibility as key conceptual concerns. “tbc. working through heritage concepts" is a wordbook series published by the Centre of Advanced Study “inherit. heritage in transformation". Every issue works with a key concept of heritage, its history, current state, or future transformations. "inherit" team and fellows contribute to the series, which is updated with every fellow intake. Concept-work in heritage is always in a process of tbc: “to be confirmed” (still under development, evolving) and “to be continued” (an ongoing process, part of a longer historical narrative). This series of short publications captures work-in-progress on concepts, notions, and words that are significant in the research taking place at "inherit". It gives space to experimentation, highlighting the continuous, transforming and transformative nature of heritage research.