Researchers have identified early Maya calendar writing in a pre-Hispanic mural at Calakmul in southern Mexico, Mexico News Daily reports. The work was carried out by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
The charcoal painting, about 1.9 by 1.7 metres, shows the mythical hero Juun Ajaw hunting a water creature, next to a day sign from the 260-day ritual calendar known as the Tzolk’in. It sits inside a vaulted room designed to feel like a cave, and is thought to date to between 400 and 200 BCE.
The mural was found more than 20 years ago in poor condition. Photogrammetry and digital reconstruction have now made its details readable. Lead researcher Daniel Salazar Lama said Calakmul can now be counted among the places where this kind of early writing exists.
Source: Mexico News Daily