Gay Nagle Myers
More than 30 archaeological sites, including Chichen Itza and Tulum in the Yucatan, the Teotihuacan Pyramids near Mexico City and Oaxaca’s Monte Alban, will soon be seen on Google Mexico’s Street View platform.
The feature enables users to click on map locations to obtain 360-degree, interactive images composed of millions of photos taken at street level by specially equipped vehicles.
Google uses a special, three-wheeled bicycle to generate images of the Mexican sites, many of which do not have paved areas.
The project was carried out in partnership with the National Anthropology and History Institute INAH in Mexico City and stems from an alliance established in 2011 for an international display of Mexico’s cultural riches.
“This is the first time a gallery featuring such sites has been uploaded onto Street View and the purpose of the project is to encourage cultural tourism,” INAH said in a statement.
The project, dubbed Special Collections Street View, was recently unveiled in Mexico City.
In the first stage, 30 sites will be on view; 81 sites will be online by the end of the year.