San Bartolo (Maya site)

San Bartolo is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Department of Petén in northern Guatemala. It is northeast of the famous site of Tikal and about fifty miles from the nearest town.

San Bartolo is best known for its beautiful wall paintings from a very old time called the Late-Preclassic period. These paintings show ideas from the Olmec culture, one of the first civilizations in Mesoamerica. The paintings are some of the oldest and prettiest examples of Maya art.

San Bartolo also has some of the earliest examples of Maya writing, or Maya script. These early writings help experts learn about how the Maya made their system of symbols and letters. The discoveries at San Bartolo have changed what we know about the early Maya world.

Site

The Maya site has a big pyramid called "Las Ventanas" (The Windows) and a Temple named "Las Pinturas" (The Paintings). There is also an early royal tomb in the "Tigrillo Complex" (Ocelot Complex). Nearby, in the "Jabalí" (Wild Boar) group, there is a triadic complex that looks like buildings in Uaxactún and Tikal’s North Acropolis. People built the pyramid around 300 BC and finished it around 50 AD. San Bartolo is often studied with the nearby site of Xultún.

Murals

In 2001, researchers found a room inside a pyramid at San Bartolo filled with amazing wall paintings. These paintings, from around 100 BC, are the oldest known murals in the Maya world. Experts restored the murals and studied what they mean.

The paintings tell stories about Maya gods and creation. One wall shows the Maya maize god and people around a special fruit. Another part shows kings making offerings and symbols of trees and birds. These images help us learn about early Maya beliefs and their ideas about the world beginning. The murals also show the maize god in different stages of life, showing how important corn was to the Maya people.

Earliest Maya inscriptions

The earliest Maya writings were found at San Bartolo. They date back to the 3rd century BC. One important stone block with writing is from around 300 BC. Some think this writing marks the end of a time period in the ancient Maya calendar.

In 2022, researchers found even older calendar dates from paintings at San Bartolo. These show a special 260-day calendar date called "7 Deer," from between 300 and 200 BCE. This helps us learn about how the Maya told time long ago.

Main article: Mesoamerican Long Count calendar