In November of 2009, archaeologist Ramon Carrasco Vargas and colleagues reported on the discovery of a painted mural, located in the Chiik Nahb complex, an architectural group just north of the Central Plaza. The find is important, in part because of the domestic nature of the murals discovered there. One small building was revealed to have been a residential area, built first between AD 420 and 620 and remodeled extensively until AD 820-1020, when it was abandoned. The third remodeling included several murals on panels including this one, built between AD 620 and 700. The frescoes include at least 30 individual scenes; and evidence shows that they were painted over several times. The murals are painted on a background of gray-white stucco, in blue, green, yellow, red, and brown.
Sources and Further Information
- About.com's Guide to the Maya Civilization
- Calakmul, from Ancient History at About.com
- Nakbe
- Tikal
- Finding Site Q
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.
Carrasco Vargas, Ramon, et al. 1999 A Dynastic Tomb from Campeche, Mexico: New Evidence on Jaguar Paw, a Ruler of Calakmul. Latin American Antiquity 10(1):47-58.
Folan, William J. 2001. Calakmul (Campeche, Mexico). pp 88-90 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster, eds. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York.
Folan, William J., et al. 1995 Calakmul: New Data from an Ancient Maya Capital in Campeche, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 6(4):310-334.
Pincemin, Sophia, et al. 1998 Extending the Calakmul Dynasty Back in Time: A New Stela from a Maya Capital in Campeche, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 9(4):310-327.
