Bonampak

Bonampak sometimes known as the “Temple of the Murals” or “ ‘Painted Walls’ in modern Maya”, is southeast of Palenque on the Guatemalan border.

These Mayan ruins are in the state of Chiapia by the Usumacinta River in a remote area surrounded by jungle vegetation and an abundance of wildlife.
 

In 1946 an American, Giles Healy, was sent to Chiapia to make a film. After becoming friendly with the Lacandon he discovered Bonampak when they led him to this site.
Although Bonampak is a modest ruin with only a few steles and small in architectural size the vivid frescos on the interior walls of Structure 1 are now famous. These murals suggest celebration of an infant heir, an impressive battle scene and rather gruesome depiction of auto sacrifice, ritual and torture. Some controversy ensued with Mayan specialist after this site was discovered because until then the Mayan were known as a peaceful people.

Reproductions of the murals can be seen in the Regional Archaeology Museum in Villahermosa.

The article above is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bonampak"