A Masterpiece Revealed

In March 2001, archeologist Bill Saturno, eager to find shade and rest after a grueling trek through northern Guatemala in search of Maya hieroglyphics, crawled down a looter's trench into the base of an ancient, jungle-covered Maya structure. Finding himself in darkness, he casually switched on his flashlight—and discovered a masterpiece of early Maya art, which includes some of the earliest and most enigmatic Maya glyphs yet found. The colorful mural graces a long-buried room predating the time of Christ, one of many structures in a site now known as San Bartolo. In this interactive, explore the mural room's 14-foot-wide North Wall through archeological illustrator Heather Hurst's stunning color rendering.—Peter Tyson

Note: This feature originally appeared, in slightly different form, on NOVA scienceNOW's Maya Web page.

Cracking the Maya Code Home | Send Feedback | Image Credits | Support NOVA

© | Created March 2008