Uncovering Mayan Mysteries in the Lower School

Imagine an archaeologist searching for lost treasures in the Mayan jungle, discovering vine-draped temples, uncovering ancient artifacts, and rewriting the history of a vast and mysterious culture. Now imagine that that archaeologist is coming to your classroom because he is a Newman dad! The students in 5th grade Spanish enjoyed a visit from Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli, in which he shared information about his latest archaeological find, the Holmul Frieze. In addition to being an accomplished archaeologist and Tulane professor, Dr. Estrada-Belli is the father of Newman students Manolo ’27 and Bella ’28 Estrada Nievens.

 

Dr. Estrada-Belli thrilled the class with his tales about the Holmul Frieze. Found in a jungle-enshrouded pyramid outside of Holmul, Mexico, the frieze is an intricately carved capstone to an ancient tomb. Created to honor the Snake Kings who ruled around 700 A.D., the frieze also lent insight into the history of the Maya at that time. By deciphering the hieroglyphics on the frieze, Dr. Estrada-Belli was able to fill in a 130-year gap in Mayan history and the history of Holmul. The children were amazed to hear such an enthralling story that sounded more like cinema than science. (But unlike Indiana Iones, Dr. Estrada-Belli and his team took every precaution to preserve rather than plunder the ruins.) You can read more about Dr. Estrada-Belli’s amazing discovery in this article from National Geographic.