CHAN MUWAN THE SECOND BONAMPAK RULER AND ROOM 2 OF THE

PAINTINGS BUILDING
Alejandro Tovaln Ahumada
Centro INAH Chiapas
Introduccin

Bonampak was an ancient maya city that flourished between 300 to 800 a.D., and it is
located in the actual mexican state of Chiapas, in the lacandonian jungle, just a few
kilometers away from the Guatemalan frontier. Neighbour of half a dozen mayan cities
distributed along the Lacanj river, this site had a relevant infuence from the great city of
Yaxchiln, situated in the border of the Usumacinta river.

The archaeological site of Bonampak occupies a narrow but long valley between the
sierra of La Cojolita and the Lacanj river. Its political, administrative and religious center is
formed by the Acropolis and its jointed Gran Plaza, surrounded by at least 165 domestic units
in a range of 3,500 hectares.

The Bonampak Acropolis is a large stepped basement, built on a natural elevation of

45 meters high. Allocated in two narrow terraces are the main buildings of the city, most of
them present the typical maya vault. The smaller constructions are placed in the upper
terrace, and present a small limestone column on the inside that act as an altar used to
worship the ancestors, as in at least three of them a burial crypt was found under the building.
In the lower terrace are the political and administrative buildings, as indicated by the throne
of the room 2 or the wide benches inside the paintings building.

Bonampak suffered from continuous problems in the succession of power due to the
existence of more than one lineage with a right to rule, the most known is the one that occur at
the end of the city, where its last ruler, Chan Muwan II (776-800? a.D.) consolidate its power
thanks to the marital and militar alliance that hold with Yaxchiln. Part of this dynamic can

be inferred from the lack of carved monuments erected by the father and grandfather of Chan
Muwan II in Bonampak.

The paintings building is a rectangular structure of 16 by 4 meters long, and 6 meters

high, whose interior is divided in three rooms completely covered by mural painting. On its
exterior the figure of a man made in stucco is preserved, as well as the remains of the
sculpture of the ruler on duty.

The main topic that is seen in the paintings of room 1 is the introduction of Chan
Muwan's II heir son to a large group of the elite of Bonampak, political allies and the family
itself. Coming up next the assistants dress sumptuously the governor and two other
important participants, that appear heading a ritual procession assisted by musicians and
dancers.

Inside room 2, most of the mural shows a very important belic action, where the chaos
originated by a number of people fiercingly fighting to each other, where Chan Muwan the
Second rises victorious with his ornated headdress taking the rival group leader as a prisoner.
The second part of the mural shows us the presentation and sacrifice of the captives.

Inside room 3 a kind of dancing takes part, as well as the showing of one of the
sacrificed, under the look of the governor. Closing this cicle there is a palace scene with the
most important people of Bonampak. One of the mural's interpretation says that the rituals
shown take place to guarantee the future ascention of Chan Muwan's II heir, another
hypothesis indicates that it is the recovery of the throne of Bonampak by the same Chan
Muwan II with the support of Yaxchiln, where the defeated group is the toppled ruler with
his allies of Sak Tz'i' or Perro Blanco city.

Room 2 tomb of the Painting's Building

In 2009 a little and rough funerary crypt was discovered under the bench of room 2 of
the Painting's building. The plaster covering of the walls had no decoration.

The tomb was occupied by a man 38 to 42 years old, 5.52 feet tall that was deposited leaning on
his back. Most of the skull was lacking and on its place there was a big alabaster vase
intentionally broken at its bottom. A small silex knife, unedged and with fire marks was placed
under the vase indicating the ritual sacrifice of the vessel. The incisive teeth were filed, a
common practice between the maya elite individuals.

Also associated with the burial we found a poor offering of two polycrome plates
previously used and placed near the feet.

The buried man wore jade circular ear-ornaments with their marine-shell plugs, a 44 jade beads
necklace, and a shell pendant. There was a bracelet for each arm; the right one with 28 small
perforated marine-shells mixed among 217 small jade beads just half a centimeter in diameter.
The left bracelet was formed by 244 jade beads and 24 marine-shell beads. Such a big quantity
of jade contrasts with the scarce number of vessels.

The analysis of the ceramics found in the crypt and a small fine gray vase found outside of the
crypt but associated with it helped us to date this funerary event to the last quarter of the eight
century (775-800 a.D.), in agreement with the time governed by Chan Muwan the Second.

On the other side, I have to say that the excavation also gave us information about the building's
construction and everything indicates that originally it was a long interior space with three
entrances later transformed in three rooms. We are sure that the rooms and the murals were
comissioned by Chan Muwan the Second, but he is not related with the proper long building
construction, probably comissioned by his predecesor and possible war captive.

The very small space of the crypt in room 2, the breaking of an ancient stucco floor and the
removal of some part of the constructive fill of a previous structure lead us to conclude that the

tomb was built when the building already existed and it also was divided in three rooms and not
before its construction as we can observe at other Acropolis big crypts.

But then, who is the person buried in the tomb? unfortunately we do not have epigraphic
information to answer that question, but evidently the jade richness indicates he was a member
of the elite, not necessarily the one associated with Chan Muwan the Second. We have to
consider that the retirement or destruction of most of the skull has an important significance.
The head is symbol of orientation in several Mesoamerical ethnic groups and at different
communities around the world. In today's Toztzil maya groups the head, referred as "jol" is the
most relevant part of the house or domestic unit, this last one called na'. In this sense the
linguistic composition of "jol na" refers to the roof, literally "the head of the house", a
fundamental element for the existance of the human being and socialization.

Under this optic, we can suggest that in the ancient maya cosmovision the head
represented the communication media between the governor and the deities. A body without his
head is a dead body, dehumanized and sterile. It is a body with no "ch'ulel" or soul and withoout
any trascendence possibility neither contact with sacred entities.

According to the previous ideas, the buried person is transformed in a dedicatory

offering relevant for the building; an individual that was a mighty one but which had to be taken
away of all strenght that can damage to their sacrificers and this was achieved taking out his
skull.

In conclusion, Bonampak's room 2 of the Paintings Building speaks specifically of the

battle scene. And the buried man association with the topic of the murals of that room relate him
very probably with his participation in that violent social scene. The buried person could have
been a member of the defeated lineage represented in the mural scene, toppled by the
government of Chan Muwan the Second with military support of Jaguar Shield from Yaxchiln.