The Maya made magnificent sculptures and paintings. Though the Maya art is unique, it has the influence of Olmec culture.
The Maya are most famous for their great sculptures, made out of stone. They built tall pyramids and big palaces.
The Maya were highly skilled in making excellent steles. A stele is an upright stone slab bearing a commemorative inscription. Huge steles weighing around 50 tonnes were excavated from Maya sites. Besides stones, the sculptors used wood and jade. They created excellent wood carvings. Maya ornaments made of jade were exported to other cultures too.
The Maya also excelled in mural paintings. They painted murals on the walls of temples, palaces and houses. They produced fine pottery. They decorated their pottery with paintings and carvings. The Maya had a variety of dance and music.
Historians believe that the Maya city of Palenque was the centre of their art and craft.
