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San Bartolo Wall Murals

100 BCE

Historical illustration: San Bartolo Wall Murals
Historical illustration: San Bartolo Wall Murals

Discovery of the oldest wall murals revealing the mythology of sacred Maize and Maya kingship.

Historical Context

In the Late Preclassic, Maya shaman-king enthronement rituals developed around cosmic mythologies and the deification of maize, the staple food of Mesoamerican civilizations.

The Event

Around 100 BCE, the Las Pinturas pyramid at San Bartolo was adorned with spectacular wall murals depicting world creation, the sacred Maize God, and divine royal legitimization.

Key Figures

William Saturno (discoverer in 2001), David Stuart (epigrapher), Karl Taube (iconographer).

Aftermath

These murals revealed a complex Maya mythology and fully developed hieroglyphic script long before the Classic period, reshaping the history of Mesoamerican art.

Legacy & Culture

San Bartolo provides the missing link connecting ancient mythological cosmogony to the sacred book of the Popol Vuh compiled during colonial times.

Historiography

William Saturno's 2001 discovery of the San Bartolo murals is widely regarded as one of the most significant archaeological breakthroughs in modern Mesoamerican studies.

Sources and References

ARCHEOLOGY

William Saturno, David Stuart, Karl Taube, The Murals of San Bartolo (Peabody Museum)

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ARCHEOLOGY

Fouilles archéologiques de San Bartolo, El Petén, Guatemala

Reliability index : ★★★★★

Semantic cluster

Maya civilization cluster

Preclassic to Postclassic: Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, calendar and collapses.

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