Archaeologists have identified what is believed to be one of the oldest known representations of the mythical Maya hero Juun Ajaw in a mural discovered within Structure II at the ancient city of Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico.
The findings, based on three years of documentation and digital analysis, will be presented by archaeologist Daniel Salazar Lama during a public lecture titled Hunting in the Water, Fishing in the Cave: Juun Ajaw, a Mythical Hero in a Preclassic Mural of Calakmul. The event will take place on 17 July 2026 at 5:00 pm at the Museum of Mayan Architecture, Baluarte de la Soledad, with free admission.
The research focused on what is currently regarded as the earliest known mural painting discovered at Calakmul. Using advanced digital recording techniques—including photogrammetry, digital illustration and virtual architectural modelling—the research team produced a detailed reconstruction of both the mural and its surrounding architectural setting.
The analysis identified the figure of Juun Ajaw depicted in a scene of hunting in the water. Researchers also concluded that the chamber housing the mural was deliberately designed to evoke the interior of a cave, a place that held profound cosmological significance in Maya belief systems.
The mural also features a symbol that may represent a marker within the 260-day ritual calendar, known as the Tzolk’in. According to the researchers, this discovery offers fresh insight into how the ancient Maya linked mythology, sacred architecture and ritual time.
The findings suggest that the mural is an early example of the Maya associating mythical events with specific calendar dates, a practice previously documented at other Preclassic sites. At Calakmul, the evidence provides new perspectives on how mythological narratives were embedded within both time and place during the early development of Maya civilisation.
Salazar Lama has specialised in Maya and broader Mesoamerican art and iconography since 2011. Since 2020, the archaeologist has led the documentation and analysis of Substructure II C at Calakmul, a project that began as postdoctoral research in France and is now carried out through a collaboration between French institutions—including Archaïos and the French Centre for Mexican and Central American Studies (CEMCA)—and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
The international project brings together specialists from Mexico, France, Spain and Italy. Salazar Lama’s research has been published in scientific journals and academic volumes across Europe and the Americas, including a recent monograph on the Balamkú frieze. Previous fieldwork has also included investigations at Balamkú, Becán, Chicaná, Hormiguero, Río Bec, El Tigre and Calakmul.
The lecture is organised by Mexico’s Ministry of Culture through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the INAH Campeche Centre. It will be moderated by Adriana Velázquez Morlet, director of the INAH Campeche Centre.
Header Image Credit : CINAH Campeche
Sources : INAH
