A Maya pyramid beautifully decorated with a rare polychrome-
painted stucco frieze was unearthed in July 2013 at the site of Holmul, a
Classic Maya city in northeastern Peten region of Guatemala. The find came as archaeologist Francisco
Estrada-Belli’s team excavated in a tunnel left open by looters. The stucco relief stands along the exterior
of a multi-roomed rectangular building, measuring 8m in length and 2m in
height. Much of the building still remains encased under the rubble of a later
20m-high structure. The carving is painted in red, with details in blue, green
and yellow.