city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Bonampak

600 CE – 800 CE (approx.) · capital Bonampak

A small Maya city in the Lacandon forest whose murals give the most vivid surviving picture of a Classic Maya court, battle and ceremony.

Origins

Bonampak, anciently Usiij Witz, was a minor centre near the Lacanjá river in Chiapas. Its lords are attested in the Late Classic from around 600 CE and were for long periods subordinate to their more powerful neighbour Yaxchilan.

Rule and society

Structure 1 holds three painted rooms, created around 790 under the ruler Yajaw Chan Muwaan. They show the presentation of an heir, a fierce battle, the judgement and torture of captives, and celebrations with dancers and musicians. The murals reveal costume, weapons, music and court hierarchy in rare detail, and show the close involvement of Yaxchilan's royal house.

Decline and legacy

The murals were never finished, and Bonampak was abandoned soon after 800 CE. They were revealed to outsiders in 1946 by Lacandon Maya guides, transforming the image of the Maya as peaceful.

Connections (1)

  • Bonampak was a vassal of Yaxchilan776 CE – 800 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bonampak. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bonampak
MLA
“Bonampak.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bonampak. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bonampak.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bonampak.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bonampak’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bonampak (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻