The day after visiting Yaxchilan, we visited Bonampak.  “Bonampak” is Yucatec Mayan for “painted wall”, a reference to its awesome murals.  Getting to Bonampak was also a long bus ride, about 3 hours each way.  It is currently a small site, comprising just the Grand Plaza and Acropolis.  However Edifice I (Roman numeral “1”) in the Acropolis contains 3 rooms covered with beautiful Mayan murals, which makes the whole journey worthwhile.  This site has great energy and feels wonderful.

According to the INAH Plaque accompanying this site, Bonampak was probably already important during the Early Classic Period (20-600 A.D.) and peaked during the Late Classic Period.  The oldest mention of Bonampak is Yaxchilan’s  Lintel XLIX (“49”), which gives the year 402 A.D.  Archaeologists also know that Bonampak’s Lord Jaguar Knotted Eye attended the enthronement of Yaxchilan’s 10th ruler in 512 A.D.  Lintel IV (“4”) depicts Chaan Muan I, or Sky Bird Muan I, ruler of Bonampak around 603 A.D.  Carved Stone I (Stela I?) mentions another ruler known simply as Ahau (Lord [Lord Sun?]) from Bonampak for the year 683 A.D.  An alliance between Bonampak and Yaxchilan in 746 A.D. defeated Lacanha, a neighboring settlement, and subsequntly came under Bonampak’s domination.  THe last and perhaps most important ruler registered in Bonampak was Chaan Muan II, who governed from 776 A.D. until at least 792 A.D.  792 A.D. is Bonampak’s last recorded date and is found on the murals.

Here are links to great websites on Bonampak:

    http://mayaruins.com/bonampak.html

    http://www90.homepage.villanova.edu/lowell.gustafson/Maya/bonampak.html

    http://www.mayaexploration.org/maps.php (scroll down for a map of Bonampak)

Click on the link below to see my Bonampak photos :-)