Painted Stories in Bonampak
Bonampak is a little-explored archaeological site that safeguards ancient murals which reveal the way of life of a millennia-old culture. Located in Ocosingo, Chiapas, it is a window into the culture of the ancient Maya who inhabited the region. This site, belonging to the Late Classic Period and nestled in the heart of the Lacandon Jungle, stands out for the Temple of the Murals, where the history of a battle, its aftermath and the celebration of victory are depicted with astonishing realism. These murals, discovered in 1946, are considered one of the most valuable treasures of ancient Mexico. With more than four thousand hectares of extension, only two structures of this city have been explored: the Grand Plaza and the Acropolis, which together make up a space of 110 meters long by 87 meters wide.
Bonampak, which in the Maya language means “painted walls”, is surrounded by jungle vegetation typical of southeastern Mexico and houses the Acropolis built on the uneven terrain. This in turn holds the building of the paintings, whose frescoes, preserved in three rooms, date from the year 790 AD.
To create the mural paintings, the indigenous people used a complex technique that consisted of adding pigments to a mixture of water and lime. In the first room you will find a vivid representation of a coronation or accession ceremony; in the second, a battle that took place around 792 AD and the torment of the prisoners are depicted; finally, in the third room, the celebration of the battle's triumph is portrayed, a scene dominated by the figure of Chaan Muan II, the last sovereign of Bonampak, who performed a ritual of self-sacrifice, offering his blood to the gods.
In the Grand Plaza stands Stela 1, which shows Chaan Muan II dressed in great luxury to celebrate his fifth year of rule. On another stela, the same Maya sovereign is seen with a captive at his feet as a sign of victory. Although all these relics are known, there is still much to discover in Bonampak. In addition to important archaeological treasures, this site is home to animal species such as anteaters, spider and howler monkeys, brocket deer, tapirs, ocelots and even sacred jaguars.
Bonampak, which in the Maya language means “painted walls”, is surrounded by jungle vegetation typical of southeastern Mexico and houses the Acropolis built on the uneven terrain. This in turn holds the building of the paintings, whose frescoes, preserved in three rooms, date from the year 790 AD.
To create the mural paintings, the indigenous people used a complex technique that consisted of adding pigments to a mixture of water and lime. In the first room you will find a vivid representation of a coronation or accession ceremony; in the second, a battle that took place around 792 AD and the torment of the prisoners are depicted; finally, in the third room, the celebration of the battle's triumph is portrayed, a scene dominated by the figure of Chaan Muan II, the last sovereign of Bonampak, who performed a ritual of self-sacrifice, offering his blood to the gods.
In the Grand Plaza stands Stela 1, which shows Chaan Muan II dressed in great luxury to celebrate his fifth year of rule. On another stela, the same Maya sovereign is seen with a captive at his feet as a sign of victory. Although all these relics are known, there is still much to discover in Bonampak. In addition to important archaeological treasures, this site is home to animal species such as anteaters, spider and howler monkeys, brocket deer, tapirs, ocelots and even sacred jaguars.
