The Maya were accomplished artists, painting their pottery with brightly colored scenes featuring gods, sacred animals and even rulers. Temples and other buildings were decorated with murals, bas-reliefs, and masks or figures molded from stucco plaster. Standing stones known as stelae depict rulers and are covered with glyph inscriptions which record major events during their reigns. They are a historical record which epigraphers have utilized to piece together the fortunes of cities throughout the Maya World.
Mayan carvers mastered the mediums of stone, jade, bone, shell and wood to perfection to create figurines, jewelry and masks, among other things. The lintels recovered at Dzibanché are among the few wooden objects which have survived the ravages of time.
© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.