11 Comments
User's avatar
Emese-Réka Fromm's avatar

Great post, Bree! You did some extra research on this incredible color! Now you just need to go and see some of it in person ;) ... the Bonampak murals are some of the most beautiful and preserved the color the best! Love your painting! :)

Expand full comment
Bree's avatar

Thanks for the kind words, Emese! I love Maya blue and have a scarf and a sweater in this color, but I didn’t know the name and history of it until I stumbled upon your writing on the Maya. It’s at the top of my bucket list now.😀

Expand full comment
Sara Santa Clara's avatar

The blue is beautiful - thank you for sharing. I realize I know nothing about Mayan culture and this was very interesting. And I really like your painting- the red pairs well with this blue 😊

Expand full comment
Bree's avatar

Thanks so much, Sara! I’m totally flattered. I’m still learning watercolor painting, haven’t gotten the hang of color pairing..

Expand full comment
Lisa Burda's avatar

Great article, so informative!! Thank you Bree!

Expand full comment
Bree's avatar

Thanks Lisa. Glad you find value in it.

Expand full comment
Jo's avatar

Thank you Bree, for this well-researched introduction to this beautiful color. I have Mayan orange on my palette, I wonder if its history is as fascinating...

Expand full comment
Bree's avatar

Jo, thanks so much for your kind words. The beautiful Maya orange is derived from achiote seeds. I also love Maya red and am working on a piece about other Maya colors, stay tuned! I’ve always been drawn to earthy tones, and it wasn’t until writing this post that I realized how many of my stuff (scarves, ceramic tableware) have Maya hues. It’s my sketch practice connecting my interests in history & science with my personal color preferences - what a wonderful connection!😀

Expand full comment
Sandy S's avatar

So interesting Bree! Thank you for researching and sharing the unique creation of Maya Blue! Really like your drawing!!! :-)

Expand full comment
Bree's avatar

Thanks for the kind words, Sandy! I use the bold and earthy tones in Maya art as a reference, but I can't fully capture them in my work…

Expand full comment
Rachel Shenk's avatar

Beautiful!

Expand full comment