Maya painting found in Guatemala telling the story of creation and mythology of kingship

Maya painting found in Guatemala telling the story of creation and mythology of kingship - View the amazing photo!

2005-12-15

Reported by National Geographic, archaeologists uncovered 13 December 2005 the final section of the earliest known Maya mural ever found. The painting on the wall dates to 100 B.C. In addition to the mural, they found the oldest known Maya royal burial, dating to 150 B.C. The leader of this excavation project called San Bartolo is William Saturno. He is an archaeologist with the University of New Hampshire and the Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. The research has been supported by the National Geographic Society and is conducted with the Guatemalan Institute of Anthropology and History. What new brings the find to the Maya Indian`s history?

Photo (for illustration). Maya pyramids at Tikal in Gauatemala. © Josh Cutler.

The painting was the last wall of a room-size mural to be excavated. The site was discovered in 2001 at the ancient Maya city of San Bartolo in the lowlands of northeastern Guatemala (source: National Geographic`s website: www.NationalGeographic.com - article by John Roach for National Geographic News, December 13, 2005.

Click on the link for reading the full story on National Geographic`s website: Maya Mural - painting article.

Saturno and his team will continue the excavations at San Bartolo in coming years. National Geographic will reports the finds in the January 2006 issue of its magazine.

Stein Morten Lund 15 December 2005

Additional information
National Geographic`s website: www.NationalGeographic.com.

Coming up! The mural will featured in the January 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine. More of the Maya Indian`s life, culture and art will be revealed here, and perhaps the history about this people has to be rewritten. Is this find just the top of the iceberg, and will there be more to find?