Divining the Maya's world

T\o7HE\f7 recent discovery of the elegantly painted murals at San Bartolo in the northeastern corner of Guatemala provided a unique view into the great antiquity of the philosophy underlying Maya divine kingship. Dating to about 100 BC, the murals reveal the rich colors of the palette and sophistication of the drawing that characterized the greatest achievements of Maya painting during the 7th and 8th centuries.

The discovery generated tremendous excitement in archeological circles. Archeologists, art historians and epigraphers (who study ancient written languages) typically work methodically and systematically, carefully examining the patterns of their data found in the layouts of cities and buildings, the monuments and objects and their accompanying texts. Archeology, however, is a science that benefits from serendipitous discoveries that can dramatically increase our understanding of ancient civilizations, and such is the case with San Bartolo.

The study of Maya civilization is fairly recent, dating to the mid-19th century, when the American explorer John Lloyd Stephens and the British architect Frederick Catherwood undertook a series of travels in Mexico and Central America and brought vivid tales and images of ancient Maya cities to the attention of the public. Subsequently, each decade of the 20th century has brought new insights into Maya culture that continue to be refined by investigations.

Visitors to the ruins of Maya cities typically see the remains of buildings that date to the period known as the Late Classic (AD 550 to 850), when the dynasties that ruled the nearly 60 city states built lavish temples and palaces and commissioned the creation of brilliantly painted pottery and elegantly carved stone monuments. Many of the existing buildings, however, were constructed over earlier buildings. During the past two decades, archeological excavations at a number of sites in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras have revealed the structures layered within the visible surface constructions, thus advancing our understanding of the earlier periods of Maya history.