MayaSkies.net uses photographs, archaeological images, maps, diagrams, illustrations, digital reconstructions, astronomical visualizations, and other media to help explain Maya astronomy, calendars, mathematics, archaeology, architecture, writing, cosmology, and digital heritage.
We believe readers should be able to understand not only what an image shows, but also where it came from.
This page explains how MayaSkies.net credits visual material, how different types of images are identified, and how to report an attribution or copyright concern.
Our Approach to Image Attribution
Whenever reasonably possible, MayaSkies.net identifies the creator and source of third-party visual material and provides the applicable copyright or licensing information.
Depending on the source and license, an image credit may identify the title of the work, photographer or creator, institution or collection, original source, license, and any material modifications made to the image.
The exact form of attribution may vary because different licenses, archives, museums, photographers, and publishers impose different requirements.
Where a rights holder specifies a particular credit line, MayaSkies.net aims to follow that requested wording.
Where Image Credits Appear
Image attribution may appear directly beneath an image, in its caption, near the image, within an article’s source section, or on this Image Credits page.
For pages containing many historical images, maps, or illustrations, credits may be consolidated when doing so remains consistent with the relevant licenses and clearly identifies which credit belongs to which image.
The presence of an image on MayaSkies.net does not mean that the image is owned by MayaSkies.net.
Always check the credit and licensing information associated with the individual image before attempting to reuse it.
Our Standard Credit Format
When appropriate, MayaSkies.net uses a credit format based on the following information:
Title or description — Creator — Institution or source — License or rights statement — Modifications, if any
For example:
Temple of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá — Jane Example — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 — Cropped from original
or:
Maya ceramic vessel — Smithsonian Institution — CC0 — Image cropped for layout
The exact format may be shortened where space is limited, provided essential attribution information remains accessible.
Creative Commons Images
MayaSkies.net may use images released under Creative Commons licenses.
Different Creative Commons licenses carry different requirements.
For example, an Attribution license generally requires appropriate credit, identification of the license, and an indication when changes have been made.
Some licenses impose additional conditions, such as ShareAlike requirements or restrictions on commercial use or derivative works.
MayaSkies.net does not assume that the phrase “Creative Commons” alone grants unrestricted permission.
The specific license attached to the individual work must be reviewed.
When a Creative Commons image has been modified through cropping, annotation, color adjustment, compositing, or another meaningful alteration, the modification may be identified where required or appropriate.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is an important source of historical, archaeological, geographic, and educational imagery, but Wikimedia Commons does not own most material hosted there.
Individual files can have different creators, rights holders, and licensing requirements.
When MayaSkies.net uses a file from Wikimedia Commons, the relevant file page should be reviewed to determine the individual work’s:
creator, original source, copyright status, license, attribution requirements, and restrictions on derivative use.
“Wikimedia Commons” alone is normally not treated as the creator unless the applicable record specifically establishes that relationship.
Whenever possible, credit is given to the original creator or rights holder identified by the file record.
Public Domain Material
Some historical photographs, illustrations, maps, artworks, documents, and other materials may be in the public domain.
Public-domain material may not require copyright permission in the jurisdiction applicable to its use.
Nevertheless, MayaSkies.net generally aims to identify the creator, collection, archive, museum, or source when that information is available.
Attribution improves research transparency and enables readers to trace an image back to its original context.
A public-domain designation should not be confused with the claim that an object, artifact, archaeological site, or cultural tradition itself has no cultural significance or associated ethical considerations.
CC0 Material
Some institutions make digital assets available under Creative Commons Zero, or CC0.
CC0 is designed to allow broad reuse without the attribution requirements found in ordinary Creative Commons attribution licenses.
Even when formal attribution is not required, MayaSkies.net may still identify the creator, institution, collection, and source as a matter of provenance and research transparency.
An image being available under CC0 also does not necessarily eliminate every possible non-copyright consideration relating to privacy, cultural sensitivity, trademarks, archaeological restrictions, or other rights.
Museum and Institutional Collections
MayaSkies.net may reference or display images from museums, universities, archaeological authorities, libraries, archives, research institutions, and cultural heritage organizations.
Each institution may have its own rights statements and reuse policies.
An institution making an image publicly viewable online does not automatically mean that the image may be copied or republished without restriction.
Before using institutional material, MayaSkies.net aims to evaluate the rights information associated with the particular asset.
Where permission has been granted directly, the applicable credit may identify the institution or rights holder as requested.
Archaeological Photographs
Archaeological photographs require contextual accuracy as well as copyright consideration.
A photograph may show an excavated structure, restored architecture, reconstructed architecture, replica, museum object, or modern landscape.
Captions should distinguish among these contexts when the difference matters.
A photograph of a reconstructed portion of an archaeological site should not knowingly be captioned in a way that makes the reconstruction appear to be unchanged ancient fabric.
Similarly, modern restoration should not automatically be used as proof of a structure’s original ancient appearance.
Digital Reconstructions
MayaSkies.net has a particular interest in digital archaeology and the reconstruction of Maya sites.
Digital reconstructions can range from highly measured three-dimensional records to substantially interpretive artistic scenes.
When practical, visual material should distinguish between a measured digital record, evidence-based reconstruction, hypothetical reconstruction, and artistic visualization.
A 3D rendering should not be presented as a photograph of the past.
Where significant portions of a reconstruction are hypothetical, captions or accompanying text should make that uncertainty clear.
Maps and Diagrams
MayaSkies.net may create original maps, calendar diagrams, mathematical illustrations, astronomical charts, architectural diagrams, and timelines.
An original diagram may incorporate factual information derived from multiple sources without reproducing the visual design of those sources.
Important source data should be cited in the accompanying article where appropriate.
When a map or diagram is adapted directly from a third-party work, the original creator and applicable license or permission should be identified.
Maps showing archaeological sites may intentionally omit precise coordinates when publication could increase the risk of looting, vandalism, unauthorized access, or damage to vulnerable cultural heritage.
Astronomical Images and Visualizations
Articles may include astronomical photographs, simulations, star charts, horizon diagrams, planetary visualizations, and reconstructed historical skies.
A simulated historical sky is not a historical photograph.
Where relevant, visualizations should identify the software, dataset, astronomical assumptions, or methodology used to create them.
Illustrative astronomical imagery should not be presented as direct evidence that a particular Maya community observed or interpreted the sky in precisely the manner shown.
AI-Generated and AI-Assisted Images
MayaSkies.net may occasionally use generative artificial intelligence or other computational tools to produce illustrative imagery.
AI-generated historical scenes are not archaeological evidence.
When an AI-generated or substantially AI-assisted image depicts an ancient building, person, ceremony, landscape, artifact, astronomical event, or historical setting, MayaSkies.net aims to identify it as an illustration when readers could otherwise reasonably interpret it as documentary evidence or an academically verified reconstruction.
AI-generated images should not be used to fabricate archaeological discoveries, inscriptions, artifacts, excavation photographs, or other evidence.
A synthetic reconstruction may help communicate an idea, but it cannot establish what actually existed in the past.
Original MayaSkies.net Visuals
Some photographs, graphics, diagrams, tables, illustrations, or interactive visualizations may be created specifically for the current MayaSkies.net publication.
Unless otherwise stated, such original material remains subject to the site’s applicable copyright terms.
The presence of third-party references, public-domain information, or factual archaeological data within an original MayaSkies.net diagram does not necessarily place the complete graphic itself in the public domain.
Readers wishing to reproduce substantial original MayaSkies.net visual material should contact us when permission is required.
Historical Maya Skies Project Material
The current MayaSkies.net is independent from the historical Tales of the Maya Skies project.
The present publication does not claim ownership of photographs, films, logos, animations, archaeological scans, 3D models, production artwork, research graphics, databases, or other visual assets created for the earlier project.
Historical project material should only be reproduced when an appropriate license, permission, public-domain status, or other lawful basis for use has been established.
Reference to the historical Maya Skies project does not transfer intellectual property rights in its visual assets to the current MayaSkies.net.
For more information about the relationship between the historical project and the present publication, see our Project History page.
Cultural Sensitivity
Legal permission is not the only consideration involved in publishing an image.
Photographs may depict human remains, burials, sacred objects, ceremonies, culturally restricted locations, or material that is sensitive to descendant or Indigenous communities.
MayaSkies.net may choose not to reproduce an image even when it appears legally reusable.
Where culturally sensitive imagery is necessary for educational discussion, decisions should consider context, dignity, educational value, and the perspectives of relevant communities when reasonably available.
Images should not be selected merely for shock value.
Human Remains and Funerary Material
Photographs of human remains and funerary contexts require particular care.
Such imagery should only be used when it materially contributes to legitimate educational or archaeological discussion.
Graphic or unnecessary presentation should be avoided.
Captions and surrounding text should provide appropriate archaeological and cultural context rather than treating human remains as decorative material.
Image Modifications
Images may sometimes be cropped, resized, annotated, adjusted for readability, or otherwise modified.
Material modifications should not be used to create a misleading impression about archaeological evidence.
For example, an alignment line added to a photograph should be identifiable as an annotation rather than presented as though it existed physically at the site.
Where licensing terms require changes to be disclosed, MayaSkies.net aims to identify those changes in the credit.
Metadata and Provenance
Whenever practical, editorial records for important images should retain information about their provenance.
Useful records can include the original source URL, creator, institutional collection, title, accession or catalog number, license, date accessed, rights statement, and any modifications made before publication.
Maintaining provenance helps prevent images from becoming detached from their original historical or archaeological context.
Image Licensing Can Change
Online rights information can change.
A source page may move, a collection may update its rights statement, or additional information about an image’s creator may become available.
MayaSkies.net therefore cannot guarantee that every external license page or source URL will remain unchanged indefinitely.
When significant new rights information becomes known, existing credits may be updated.
Attribution Does Not Equal Endorsement
Crediting a photographer, museum, archive, university, Wikimedia contributor, government agency, or other institution does not imply that the credited person or organization endorses MayaSkies.net.
Likewise, citing an image source does not mean MayaSkies.net represents that source.
Credits identify provenance and rights information, not organizational affiliation.
Reusing Images From MayaSkies.net
Do not assume that every image displayed on MayaSkies.net can be reused under the same terms.
The site may contain a mixture of original MayaSkies.net work, Creative Commons material, public-domain material, CC0 assets, images reproduced with permission, and other lawfully used third-party content.
The rights statement associated with the individual image controls its reuse.
If an image belongs to a third party, MayaSkies.net cannot normally grant rights that belong to that third party.
Readers should follow the original source and obtain permission from the appropriate rights holder when necessary.
Copyright, Licensing, or Attribution Concerns
MayaSkies.net aims to respect photographers, artists, researchers, institutions, archives, publishers, and other rights holders.
If you believe an image has been incorrectly attributed, reproduced under an incorrect license, credited to the wrong creator, materially altered in a misleading way, or used without appropriate authorization, please contact us.
Include the affected MayaSkies.net page, a description of the image, the original source when known, the correct creator or rights holder information, and any relevant licensing or ownership evidence.
Credible concerns will be reviewed in good faith.
Where an attribution error is confirmed, the credit may be corrected.
Where continued use cannot be reasonably supported, the image may be replaced or removed.
Corrections to Image Credits
Image credits are covered by our Corrections Policy.
Minor formatting adjustments may be made without a formal correction notice.
Material errors involving ownership, creator identity, licensing status, provenance, or the nature of an archaeological image may receive a more substantive correction.
Our objective is to preserve an accurate chain from the image displayed on MayaSkies.net back to its creator, source, and historical or archaeological context.
A Note for Photographers, Researchers, and Institutions
If you created an image used on MayaSkies.net and believe the existing credit can be improved, we welcome accurate attribution information.
Likewise, museums, archives, archaeologists, photographers, and cultural organizations are encouraged to contact us when new provenance or rights information becomes available.
Image attribution is not merely a legal formality.
For an educational publication, provenance is part of the evidence.
Knowing who created an image, when it was created, what it actually depicts, where it originated, and how it may be reused helps readers evaluate the visual record with the same care applied to written sources.
Maya Skies
Reading the Sky, Time, and Architecture of the Maya.
Independent educational reference for Maya astronomy, calendars, archaeology, mathematics, and digital heritage.