Cities of Art

During its Classic era (c. 250–900 CE), the Maya civilization produced art of staggering complexity across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Temples at sites like Tikal, Palenque, and Copán were covered in carved reliefs, painted murals, and sculpted stucco facades — all originally painted in vivid reds, blues, and greens.

Maya art served political and religious purposes at once. Carved stelae (stone slabs) recorded the deeds of rulers using a mix of portrait images and hieroglyphic text. Maya script was one of only a handful of writing systems ever invented from scratch — alongside Sumerian, Egyptian, and Chinese. Here, art and writing were inseparable.