Bonampak

 archaeological site, Maya civilization, historic ruins

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Bonampak (known anciently as Ak'e or, in its immediate area as Usiij Witz, 'Vulture Hill') is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The site is approximately 30 km (19 mi) south of the larger site of Yaxchilan, under which Bonampak was a dependency, and the border with Guatemala. While the site is not overly impressive in terms of spatial or architectural size (American archaeologist, epigrapher, and Mayanist scholar Sylvanus Morley once stated that Bonampak was fourth-rate in terms of size and political importance), it is well known for the murals located within the three roomed Structure 1 (The Temple of the Murals). The construction of the site’s structures dates to the Late Classic period (c. AD 580 to 800). In addition to being amongst the most well-preserved Maya murals, the Bonampak murals are noteworthy for debunking early assumptions that the Maya were a peaceful culture of mystics (a position long-held and argued for by the well-known early Mesoamerican archaeologist, ethnohistorian and epigrapher from the Carnegie Institute of Washington, Sir John Eric Sidney Thompson), as the murals clearly depict war and human sacrifice.