The Arsmaya Research Group (GIUV2013-094) has conducted uninterrupted fieldwork on art, archaeology, cultural heritage and gender studies in Spain, Europe and the Americas since 2000. The research team comprises experts in art, archaeology, architecture, restoration, physicochemical analysis of materials and development cooperation.

In Spain and Europe, research has focused on interventions in historic buildings and their surroundings, exhumed materials (ceramics, glass, coins, skeletal remains, etc.) and museum collections. Arsmaya has also documented cultural heritage using digital technologies.

In Europe, the team has worked mainly in the Valencian Community and in Rome. In the Americas, archaeological research has been conducted in the Petén Department (Guatemala) and the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), with the objective of showcasing the rich heritage of the Maya cities in these regions. The archaeological sites that were studied in depth are La Blanca and Chilonché in Guatemala (2004–2019) and Uxmal in Mexico (2016–2024).

The group has also studied Maya architecture through the analysis of compositional criteria, formal solutions, architectural typologies, construction systems and materials used in the construction of buildings, as well as the iconographic analysis of the artistic manifestations with which they were decorated, including graffiti.

These actions have been carried out continuously since 2005 through numerous R+D+I projects granted by the Valencian Government, as well as the Spanish ministries of Education, Science, Innovation, Universities, Economy and Competitiveness. This line of research also includes the application of gender perspective to the interpretation of the buildings studied, developed in recent years through the project ‘Women, art and antiquity: breaking clichés’.

In the field of archaeometry, Arsmaya is developing two projects: ‘Archaeometry of colour in the Maya area’ and ‘Archaeometry of cosmetics and perfume in Mesoamerica’. The first project involves the physicochemical characterisation of wall paintings from different settlements. The second project aims to facilitate the understanding of the substances used by ancient Mesoamerican cultures for the preparation of body pigments and perfumes reserved for the elite.

Arsmaya is also involved in a number of initiatives in order to disseminate knowledge to the general public, particularly in the context of the La Blanca project. These include the creation of an interpretation centre, the open-air museum of the archaeological site, the training of local people in various activities related to tourism, the conservation of cultural heritage and the empowerment of women.

In addition, other initiatives have emerged from the ‘Women, art and antiquity: breaking clichés’ project. The incorporation of new technologies applied to pre-Columbian cultural heritage over the past decade has led to the creation of numerous ideal 3D restorations of buildings and objects studied in the Prometeo–Mayatech Research Groups of Excellence (GVA 2016–2019 and 2020–2023).

The study of La Blanca, Chilonché and other imporant Maya World Heritage sites such as Quiriguá and Tikal (Guatemala) and Uxmal (Mexico) has led to the dissemination of the results to a wider audience (http://mayatech.artemaya.es). A similar project has been carried out at the Antica Spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala in Rome.