what we see before us is a scene of the triumphant lords of bonampak. they arell decked out in their fabulous jaguar costumes. they are standing above nine captives and a severed head-- the most prominent captive ing dead diagonallyacross . (narrator) the murals represent captives in abject poses... their gestures plaintive... their handdrd, thr s acinai mp us m rtifr gestures plaintive... thpresentation of a child-- perhaps an heir to the throne... dancers and musicians play maracas made from gourds, instruments made from turtle shells, a drum and trumpets. the celebrants are costumed-- one is a crayfish, another is a crocodile. the murals at bonampak provide a graphic and vivid depiction of the maya-- their cruelty, vanity, love of music, and humor. they were left unfinished when the people of bonampak abandoned their city around the year 800. palenque and scores of other maya cities also suffered from a rising tide of disintegration and social collapse. plenque, with its proud tower surveying the fertile plain that fueled its greatness, was abandoned