Daily life of the ancient Maya recorded on murals at Calakmul, Mexico
- aInstituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Calle 59 #44, Col. Centro Histórico, C.P. 24000, Campeche, Campeche, México;
- bUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras División de Estudios de Posgrado. Circuito interior, C.U., Coyoacán CP 04510, México, D.F. México; and
- cUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum, American Section, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Edited by Michael D. Coe, Yale University, New Haven, CT, and approved September 25, 2009 (received for review April 21, 2009)
Abstract
Research into ancient societies frequently faces a major challenge in accessing the lives of those who made up the majority of their populations, since the available evidence so often concerns only the ruling elite. Our excavations at the ancient Maya site of Calakmul, Mexico, have uncovered a “painted pyramid:” a structure decorated with murals depicting scenes of its inhabitants giving, receiving, and consuming diverse foods, as well as displaying and transporting other goods. Many are accompanied by hieroglyphic captions that describe the participants, and include spellings of key subsistence items. Collectively, they offer insights into the social mechanisms by which goods were circulated within major Maya centers.
Footnotes
- 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: simonm3{at}sas.upenn.edu
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Author contributions: R.C.V. designed research; R.C.V., V.A.V.L., and S.M. performed research; and S.M. wrote the paper.
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The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
