An unparalleled set of Maya wall paintings, most probably from the 17th to 18th centuries CE, discovered in a local house in the Guatemalan city of San Gaspar Chajul (further referred to as Chajul) blends pre-Columbian with imported European elements, making them a unique example of Colonial art from Latin America.
View of the wall paintings on the western wall of a house in Chajul, Guatemala. The panel features a possible dwarf with a long stick (individual 1) striding behind the backs of two musicians wearing Spanish costumes (individuals 2 and 3), and approached by a man in Indian-Spanish attire (individual 4). The first musician (individual 2) is shown playing a short wind instrument, probably a flute (xhuli aj) or a chirimía — instruments still popular in traditional music of the Ixil Maya. The chirimía is a form of a double-reed woodwind instrument (resembling an oboe), which was introduced by the Spaniards. The second musician plays a large drum, beating it with sticks with rounded heads. The same set of instruments (large drum and flute/chirimía) is used today to accompany different feasts and ritual ceremonies. Individuals 1-3 wear typical European costume, comprising a short mantle worn over one shoulder; a kaftan with puffed sleeves and ruff; a broad belt with its loose end dangling to the front, long slim trousers (or perhaps short trousers and stockings); and heeled shoes with long, pointed toes. The individuals wear hats with broad brims adorned with a feather or brush made from animal hair. The only legible fragment of inscription, located above the drummer’s head, reads ‘…CADORES’, which probably refers to the word ‘tocadores’, or ‘musicians.’ A figure, possibly a dancer (individual 4), is shown striding towards the musicians, holding a green object resembling a bottle in his extended hand. His costume comprises both European and Indian elements. Image credit: R. Słaboński.
Central America is home to Maya populations speaking a variety of related languages. Despite the Spanish conquest of the 16th century CE, these populations have persisted, maintaining many traditions and their sense of cultural identity.
Today, the total Maya population is estimated at 8 million, most of whom (around 6.2 million) live in Guatemala.
One of the Maya groups of south-central Guatemala are the Ixils. Today, the three largest Ixil cities are Chajul, Santa Maria Nebaj and San Juan Cotzal.
In 2003, renovation of one of the local houses in Chajul revealed a set of Maya wall paintings.
The murals were then studied by Jagiellonian University researcher Jarosław Źrałka and his colleagues from Poland, Germany, Spain and Guatemala.
View of the paintings on the northern wall of a house in Chajul, Guatemala. The panel features 10 human figures (individuals 5-14). Individuals 5-8 and 10 are represented in a very similar manner, wearing mixed European-Indian costumes. Some of the figures (individuals 6-8, 10) are shown facing each other. They wear cloaks/mantles similar to those described above and decorated with what may be a bird, trousers, heeled shoes and triangular headdresses adorned with bunches of feathers and other ornaments. In their upraised hands, each figure holds an enigmatic red object, which exhibits an elongated, curved element protruding from it. These may be jícara, a traditional carved vessel typically made of calabash. Scarf-like elements dangle from the area of the wrists of almost all of the figures. Similar dress is used by Indigenous people practicing dance today. A stooping man (individual 9, possibly a dwarf) with a long stick is visible between individuals 8 and 10, and is depicted in European costume very similar to that worn by the musicians. In his left hand, he carries a curved object resembling a tobacco pipe. Image credit: R. Słaboński.
“The paintings decorate the north, east and west walls of the main, central room. They probably also once covered the south wall, but this has been demolished and rebuilt,” they said.
One of the best-preserved and most interesting scenes, over 2 m in length, is on the western wall.
The 4.3-m-long panel on the northern wall seems to be a continuation of the scenes depicted on the western wall.
The eastern wall is adorned with two panels, one at either end. If there were any paintings between these two panels, they have not survived.
The murals were probably made by indigenous artists using traditional colors and painting techniques.
According to local inhabitants of Chajul, they represent scenes from either the Baile de la Conquista (Dance of the Conquest) or the Baile de los Moros y Cristianos (Dance of the Moors and Christians).
Reconstruction of the Chajul house based on 3D scanning; note the three rooms of the house, with the central one featuring wall paintings. Image credit: A. Kaseja / B. Pilarski.
“Our research to date, including interviews with Chajul inhabitants about local history and tradition, suggests that houses with murals were originally owned by important members of the local community, possibly members of the cofradías,” the scientists said.
“These individuals were involved in the organization of religious events, both those connected with Catholicism and those linked with costumbre (or Maya spirituality, related to the cult of the Maya pre-Columbian calendar and to agrarian rituals).”
“The discovery of a Chajul wall painting tradition adds significant new information to the history of Colonial-period Mesoamerican art, and contributes to our understanding of local, indigenous expressions of art and ritual in the context of foreign influences,” they concluded.
The team’s paper was published in the journal Antiquity.
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Jarosław Źrałka et al. 2020. The Maya wall paintings from Chajul, Guatemala. Antiquity 94 (375): 760-779; doi: 10.15184/aqy.2020.87
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