The glyph for Bonampak is decoded as "Bird Hill", or "Vulture Hill". Perhaps this place name refers to the steep hill which Bonampak is built on. Bonampak was the smallest Mayan site we visited, it was only a minor vassal town that acknowledged nearby Yaxchilan as ultimate authority. Despite its small size and unimposing architecture, Bonampak is known for three colored murals that were discovered inside Structure 1. Note only are the murals significant because of their excellent preservation (though the state of the murals has degraded since they were discovered because early archaeologists thought that wiping them with kerosene would be a good way to clean them and enhance their color), the murals are significant because they show a dramatic battle scene, which is followed by the torture and execution of the prisoners - these murals forever dispelled the myth of the Mayans being a civilization of peaceful astronomers and philosphers.

We arrived here in afternoon and stayed for a couple of hours until the site closed at 5:00 P.M. Because of the rather remote location, Bonampak is not heavily visited.