While CRP is opposed to the digging up of people’s burial grounds and the removal (theft) of indigenous materials from museums, we thought this was a cool discovery. We wonder what people will think when our murals are discovered in 500 years.
The kitchen of a house in the impoverished town of Chajul, Guatemala, is the unlikely site of a major archeological discovery: centuries-old Mayan murals found under layers of paint.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT SLABONSKI
Lucas Asicona Ramirez, right, discovered the centuries-old paintings after he started chipping away at plaster in the kitchen of his house.
A home renovation project gave way to an unprecedented historical discovery when a Guatemalan family uncovered a series of remarkable Mayan murals behind layers of paint in their home.
Lucas Asicona Ramirez found the centuries-old paintings after he started chipping away at plaster in the kitchen of his house in Chajul, Guatemala, the National Geographic reported.
One of the Mesoamerican murals depicts a procession of colorful figures clad in a mix of traditional Maya and Spanish dress, with some figures possibly holding human hearts in their hands, archaeologist Jaroslaw Zralka told the magazine.
ANCIENT MAYAN WORKSHOP FOR ASTRONOMERS DISCOVERED
As a whole, the murals, painted on the home’s oldest layer of plaster, possibly represent a “so-called conquest dance,” said Boston University archeologist William Saturno, a still-performed Maya ritual that depicts both the Spanish invasion and Maya conversion to Christianity.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT SLABONSKI
The Mesoamerican murals depict a procession of colorful figures clad in a mix of traditional Maya and Spanish dress.
The clock is ticking for archeologists to decipher the meaning behind the paintings since they have already begun to fade from exposure.
But Saturno says it’s astounding the murals even survived in the first place.
“We don’t get a lot of this type of artwork; it’s not commonly preserved in the New World,” he explained.
The Mayan civilization, spanning from about 2000 B.C. to A.D. 250, gave rise to a series of cities in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and western El Salvador.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT SLABONSKI
A mural of ancient vessels adorns the wall next to the family’s stove.
The Mayans are known not only for their advancements in art and architecture but also for their highly developed alphabet and astronomical and mathematical systems.
Ramirez’s home is at least 300 years old, according to researchers, and is constructed in a style found in 17th and 18th century texts from the region.
“It’s unlikely to be just Joe Schmo’s house — it’s probably an important person’s house,” Saturno said, explaining the home likely boasts a storied history.
