The 'Maya' is a name archaeologists have given to a group of loosely associated but generally autonomous city states, each led by a divine ruler. These small states were spread throughout the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico, along the gulf coast and into the highlands of Guatamala, Belize and Honduras. Like small city centers anywhere, the Maya centers were supported by a network of farmers who lived outside the cities but were held by allegiances to the centers. At sites such as Calakmul, Copán, Bonampak, Uaxactun, Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Caracol, Tikal and Aguateca, festivals took place within the public view, bringing together the city residents and the farmers and reinforcing those allegiances.
This photograph is of the archaeological site of Bonampak, a classic period Maya (AD 650-850) site located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, a middle-sized community which was subsidiary to Piedras Negras in the 7th century and later to Yaxchilán. The name "Bonampak" was given to the site by archaeologist Sylvanus Morley, and it means "painted walls", more or less, in the Maya language. Bonampak is best known for its amazing murals, painted in the last decade of the 8th century AD. The extraordinary murals of Bonampak, a small part of which is shown on this page, are a tremendous source of information about the Maya, illustrating battles, courtly behavior, sacrificial episodes and other images, and, in particular revealing much detail about public festivals.
More information and sources:
This photograph is of the archaeological site of Bonampak, a classic period Maya (AD 650-850) site located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, a middle-sized community which was subsidiary to Piedras Negras in the 7th century and later to Yaxchilán. The name "Bonampak" was given to the site by archaeologist Sylvanus Morley, and it means "painted walls", more or less, in the Maya language. Bonampak is best known for its amazing murals, painted in the last decade of the 8th century AD. The extraordinary murals of Bonampak, a small part of which is shown on this page, are a tremendous source of information about the Maya, illustrating battles, courtly behavior, sacrificial episodes and other images, and, in particular revealing much detail about public festivals.
More information and sources:
- The Role of the Plaza in Maya Festivals, more on the project by Takeshi Inomata
- Bonampak, a bit more about the site
- Mary Miller. 2001. Life at court: The view from Bonampak. Chapter 7, pp. 201-222, in T. Inomata and S. Houston (eds), Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya, Volume 2: Data and Case Studies. Westview Press, Boulder CO.
