The museum of Maya archaeology in Antigua has several polychrome Maya vases of exceptional quality. This museum is inside the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo.

Here the camera is a Sinar X from Sinar Bron. The Sinar is the best 4x5 camera available (it's made in Switzerland).

The lens is from Schneider, Germany, the best precision lenses available.

The digital scan back is a special adaptation from Better Light coordinated with a special turntable.

You can see the turntable in the background. To hold everything solid we use a Manfrotto geared-locked tripod head on the heaviest Gitzo tripod. The Sinar X is on a traditional Ries tripod. Lighting is by Lowel with special additional lighting by Dedolight.

If the vases in this museum were worth sending an entire photo crew (with European large format professional camera equipment), then surely the vases, Maya figurines, Tiquisate figurines, Tiquisate hourglass based incensarios are worth your making a trip to Antigua to visit. The Museo de Arqueologia within the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo is open to the public. But since this is the most lovely hotel in Antigua (and the best hotel in all Guatemala) you might as well stay several days.