Mural at Bonampak

Structure 1 of the classic period Maya site of Bonampak has three architecturally simple rooms with magnificently decorated walls. Each of the rooms tells a story of Bonampak; each has a large-built in bench with a painted riser for viewing. Room 1 shows the royal family of the classic period ruler of Bonampak, Chan Muán and a series of his lords paying attendance. On the north wall of Room 1 are pictures of a group of individuals getting dressed for a celebration, dressing in a vivid combination jaguar pelts, quetzal feathers and boa constrictors. These three individuals are then shown dancing, watched by a group of governors and musicians and performers.

The murals at Bonampak were not the only interior walls painted by ancient Mesoamerican cultures--others include Rio Azul (lowland Maya), Cacaxtla (Cacaxtla AD 600-900), Oxtotitlán, Juxtlahuaca and Cacahuiziqui (Olmec), and of course, Tenochtitlan (Aztec)--but they are considered the best preserved examples of the classic Maya period. More information and sources:

• The Role of the Plaza in Maya Festivals, more on the project by Takeshi Inomata
• Bonampak, more information on the site itself.
• Mary Ellen Miller. 2001. Bonampak (Chiapas, Mexico). Pp 82-85 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America, S.T. Evans and D.L. Webster, eds. Garland Publishing, Inc., New York
• Mary Miller. 2006. Life at Court: The View from Bonampak. Chapter 7 in Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya, Volume 2: Data and Case Studies., T. Inomata and S.D. Houston, eds. Westview Press, Boulder.
• The Bonampak Murals, more images of the lushly painted rooms at Bonampak, from Ancient Mexico