Murals and Mysteries of the Maya - William Saturno, PhD

The Thrill of the Find: Murals and Mysteries of the Maya
Wednesday, January 21, 2015

William Saturno, PhD, assistant professor of archaeology, Boston University; director, Proyecto San Bartolo/Xultún, Instituto de Antropologia e Historia, Guatemala; research associate, Peabody Museum, Harvard University

While seeking refuge from the grueling heat of the Guatemalan jungle, William Saturno crawled down a looter’s trench to rest in the shade. He casually turned on his flashlight and gazed up at 2,000-year old Maya murals in the site now known as San Bartolo. Nearly a decade later but only five miles away, Saturno and his student Max Chamberlain uncovered an earthen mound hiding a Maya house adorned by murals unlike any ever found before. Enjoy tales of Saturno’s adventures and discoveries, and learn what these stunning murals reveal about the Maya, their lives, and their society.