Ricardo Almendáriz

1787) was a draftsman from New Spain who accompanied Antonio del Río to the first excavation of pre-Columbian Maya ruins at Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico.

[1] Undertaken in May and June 1787, the expedition was performed under orders from Charles III of Spain, to investigate reports about the ruins from the inhabitants of the neighboring pueblo of Santo Domingo de Palenque.

[2] Almendáriz made thirty drawings of the bas relief sculptures at the Palenque ruins.

[1] These drawings were intended to accompany del Río's written report, which was dated June 24, 1787.

[3] The most complete set of contemporary copies belongs to the library of the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Illustration by Almendáriz of a stucco relief at Palenque . The relief, dating to ca. 670 CE , appears on the exterior face of Pier E in House A, part of the central complex of buildings known as the Palace ( el Palacio ).The drawing is a copy made from the original (now lost) engraving executed by Almendáriz during his visit to the site in 1787.
Contemporary photograph of the same feature, taken in 2008.