An incredibly well-preserved stucco frieze was discovered at the Maya site of Holmul. Built on one side of a staircase tomb, located inside a pyramid, the frieze was painted with various colors and depicts important iconographic elements that shed some light on the ceremonies that were carried out to install a new king. Within the same pyramid, a tomb belonging to an individual, probably an elite, was also discovered.
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BYU researchers are proposing that the ancient Maya farmed near the the bajos (wetlands), unlike the modern communities that farm on the hillsides. This new data, gathered by studying carbon isotopes collected from the site of Tikal, may change the way we conceive of ancient farming.
The origins of the Maya civilization has baffled archaeologists for decades. New radiocarbon dates from Ceibal pushes back the earliest occupation of this ancient Maya site. This research is key to archaeologists who are interested in understanding the role that the timing that the Olmec civilization played in the rise of the Maya. This new research provides some fodder for more questions regarding this issue.
Maya Blue has long fascinated scientists, and new research suggests that a third ingredient, known as dehydroindigo is the third component of Maya Blue, besides indigo and palygorskite. This new component, which is yellow in color, gives Maya Blue the distinct greenish hue.
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