Bonampak is famed for the three rooms of murals in structure one on the main plaza, a unique survival from the classic period. Painted in fresco in 790 they depict the ceremonial initiation of the young heir to the throne, a battle, the subsequent judgement of the prisoners and the following celebrations. There is vivid insight into court life and the colours of the costumes give a hint of how the painted stelae must once have looked. Each room must have been painted in one session before the plaster dried and there is a masterly sureness of line. The The site is run by the local Lacandon Maya who own the land and drive visitors there in mini-buses. The site itself is small – just one main plaza with is temples and acropolis. There are large flat stelae carved in elegant low relief, mainly depicting Chaan Muan, the ruler in 790. Structure three to the left of the temple of the murals also shows faint traces of paintings. One of the group who had visited some years back says that the colours are less distinct than when he last visited them. The guides only allow three people into each room at a time and flash is not allowed but one wonders how long these paintings can remain generally accessible.
