CHAN MUWAN THE SECOND BONAMPAK RULER AND ROOM 2 OF THE PAINTINGS BUILDING
Alejandro Tovalín Ahumada Centro INAH Chiapas
Introducción
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 Lacanjá river, this site had a relevant infuence from the great city of Yaxchilán, 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 Lacanjá 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 Yaxchilán. 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 srcinated 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 Yaxchilán, 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
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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 man38 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 44jade 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 srcinally 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
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tomb was built when the building already existed andit 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 haveepigraphic information to answer that question, but evidently the jaderichness 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 andthe 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 withsacred entities.
According to the previous ideas, the buried person is transformed in a dedicatory offering relevant for the building; an individual that was amighty 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 Muwanthe Second with military support of JaguarShield from Yaxchilán.
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