The San Bartolo Murals

The outstanding discovery of well-preserved murals at each site has contributed greatly to our understanding of the development of wall painting traditions, what materials were used, and how art factored into public narratives of statecraft at key moments in Maya history.

The artists and scribes of San Bartolo and Xultun created masterpieces in paint, plaster, clay, and stone that provide a window into belief systems and socio-political changes in ancient Maya society. The rare preservation of multiple wall paintings at SBX dating from the 4th century BCE to the 8th century CE represent unique cultural patrimony and exceptional testimony of ancient Maya artistic works.

PRASBX pairs an extensive program of mural scholarship and conservation with its investigative research goals. We seek to understand the greater social dynamics of San Bartolo-Xultun during a time of initial settlement and growth in the Preclassic period, through social upheaval in the 2nd-3rd century CE, and as power was consolidated under dynastic rule during the Classic period. Through archaeology, we investigate the interplay between social systems, visual media, and ecology that unfolded at this lowland Maya city during the first millennium CE.

PRASBX investigates the material aspects of ancient Maya life—hosting a variety archaeological research projects from settlement patterns to hydrology to household economies to scribal pedagogy. Ongoing research continues to bring old and new methodologies to bear on furthering scholarship of lowland Maya communities in Petén.

The SBX region offers an unparalleled view of ancient Maya visual media through time. In situ murals, friezes, and monumental sculpture spanning more than a millennium offer key clues for the origins of Maya writing, trends in political representation, and the development of scribal practice and artistic method. In addition to scholarly interpretation, we are exploring new methods for providing increased access to these visual media through digital models that sustain education and research.