Video
Myth, Time and Cosmology in the Ancient Maya Murals of San Bartolo
Abstract
This talk presents new interpretations of one of the most important artworks from ancient Maya civilization — the wall paintings of San Bartolo, Guatemala. Discovered in a buried room in 2001, the paintings are among the earliest examples of mural painting in the Maya tradition, dating to the so-called Preclassic period. Their complex narrative focuses on varied origin myths, including the emergence of maize, the animate sun, and the establishment of the four world quarters. The murals also include some of the earliest known examples of Maya hieroglyphic writing. Two inscribed dates are integrated into the design and provide a possible clue to the precise dating of the paintings to the year 26 CE. Taken together, the new readings and interpretations shed light on one of the oldest religious narratives from the ancient Americas.
Citation
Stuart, David. “Myth, Time and Cosmology in the Ancient Maya Murals of San Bartolo,” UCLA Global Antiquity Distinguished Speaker Series (February 13, 2026).
About the Speaker
David Stuart
University of Texas at Austin
David Stuart is the David and Linda Schele Professor of Mesoamerican Art and Writing at the University of Texas at Austin. His primary research focuses are the archaeology and epigraphy of ancient Maya civilization and the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing. Currently, he oversees Casa Herrera, UT’s academic research center in Antigua, Guatemala, and is the director of The Mesoamerica Center at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recent book, The Order of Days (Random House), is a popular account of ancient Maya calendars and cosmology, and a new, forthcoming book, titled The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya, will appear with Princeton University Press in March.