Today, a new article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed evidence from the Maya civilization site of Calakmul, a Late Classic period capital in Campeche state of Mexico, 30 km north of the Guatemala border.
Calakmul is an important Maya capital, not the least because its importance was discovered so recently. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of occupation at Calakmul between the Middle Preclassic (~950-600 BC) to Late Classic (AD 600-850), with a heyday during the late Classic. Between 685-689, Calakmul was ruled by Yukom Yich'ak K'ak' or Jaguar Paw, the best known of the kings of Calakmul.
The discovery by archaeologist Ramon Carrasco Vargas and colleagues involves a complex of buildings just north of the better-known Central Plaza of Calakmul, where a series of murals were discovered illustrating domestic and artisanal activities of the Maya people. These drawings appear to be of job descriptions, rather than specific people, but they shed a great deal of light on the ordinary working people of the great capital city.
Of course, I've built a new photo essay to look at, including the available photos and drawings of the new murals and an introduction to the site itself.
Carrasco Vargas, Ramon, Veronica A. Vazquez Lopez, and Simon Martin 2009 Daily life of the ancient Maya recorded on murals at Calakmul, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
- Calakmul: A Photo Essay
- About.com Guide to the Maya Civilization
- Calakmul, from Ancient History at About.com
- Nakbe
- Tikal
- Finding Site Q
News Stories
- Maya Murals Give Rare View of Everyday Life, Live Science
- How the Maya Lived, MSNBC
Comments
Thank you for an excellent survey and overview of Calakmul, and for making the PNAS paper so easily available.