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What does the Bonampak temple artwork reveal about ancient Maya music?
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Latin American music
Flute, slip-painted ceramic, Nopiloa, southern Veracruz, Mexico, 300–500 ce; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 35.56 × 17.15 × 10.80 cm.
The 8th-century murals at the Bonampak temple provide significant evidence regarding the role and nature of music in ancient Maya civilization. These artworks reveal that music was an integral component of ceremonial life, frequently performed alongside dance during processions and other ritual events.12
The murals depict music as a large-ensemble activity involving a variety of instruments. The instrumentation documented includes:2
- Percussion: Log drums, scrapers, gourd rattles, and drumlike idiophones fashioned from turtle shells.1
- Wind instruments: Ocarinas, flutes, and trumpets, including long, straight varieties that may have been constructed from wood or gourds, as well as conch-shell trumpets.12
By illustrating these performances, the Bonampak murals help clarify that ancient Mayan musical practice was highly structured and deeply embedded in the ritual and political dynamics of the Late Classic Period.1