Bonampak
Bonampak is located in the Mexican state of Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala, in the valley of the Lacanja River. It is 25 kilometers south of Yaxchilan. It was found in 1946 by photographer Giles Healy thanks to the help of local residents - the Lacandon Mayans. After the end of the Second World War, a series of “restoration processes” began in the world, which were associated with the fact that numerous buildings and spheres of public life were being restored. In this regard, Mexico is luckier than many other countries in the world. This is due to the fact that Mexico is located in an advantageous geographical location. As you know, Mexico is a state that was formed at the junction of two civilizations - European and Indian.
History of the Mayan city
Excavations of Bonampak were carried out in the state of Chiapas. In 1946, the American Healy turned to the local population to help me carry out excavations in this place. What a surprise the locals were when they discovered frescoes and paintings of the old Mayan civilization. Translated from the Mayan language, Bonampak means “wall that was painted.”
The city of Bonampak is famous for the fact that a huge number of Mayan frescoes and wall inscriptions have been preserved here. Here you can find a temple of frescoes, where various layers of the Mayan population are depicted - nobility, local residents, priests, as well as other categories of the population. If you analyze these drawings, you can easily see that among the Mayans, everyone knows, a huge amount of time and effort was devoted to the cult of sacrifice, the tribe believed in an afterlife and believed that the more sacrifices were made to their deities, the better for their surrounding situation will be.
Features of the Mayan city
The archaeological zone of Bonampak is a real “treasure”, since it is this place and a number of similar ancient zones that help us see the culture and life of a great civilization, the descendants of which for the most part inhabit the modern territory of Mexico. For lovers of rock and ancient wall paintings, as well as for archeology lovers, a visit to this place will be a real gift. One of the favorite places in the entire fresco temple among tourists is the fresco that depicts musicians. It shows a group of musicians standing in a row and, most likely, entertaining representatives of the noble class.
Thanks to the wall frescoes of Bonampak, researchers of the archaeological zone received a visual understanding of the life, everyday life and rituals of the Indians, their national costumes, religious rituals, holidays, and in general about the culture and art of the late classical Mayan period. The main architectural complex is the acropolis, located on the northern slope of a small hill, and the square in front of it.
