CHAPAL OF MAYA

Heru
Apr 28
2 min read

Maya and his wife Merit, officials of the 18th Dynasty, are depicted with brilliant, deep reddish-brown skin, reflecting the true melanated complexion of the Nile Valley Africans.

Maya was a high-ranking official of ancient Kemet (Egypt) who served as the Overseer of Works and the Chief Treasurer during the reigns of Pharaohs Tutankhamun and Horemheb, toward the end of the 18th Dynasty (around 1330 BCE). He was originally from Waset (modern-day Luxor), the capital of the southern region of Kemet now known as Upper Egypt. His tomb chapel was discovered in 1906 by the Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in the workers' necropolis of Deir el-Medina, a village home to the skilled artisans and laborers who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The artwork of Maya’s funerary chapel bursts with a brilliance so vivid that it defies time itself, preserving the true image of the ancient Black people of the Nile Valley in radiant, living color. What is particularly striking about the artwork of Maya’s chapel is the deliberate and skillful use of deep, earthy tones to portray the true dark, melanated complexion of the ancient Remetch—the people of Kemet.

No, these were not pale-skinned individuals with tans, nor were they actors in wigs trying to mimic an African aesthetic. The deep reddish-brown complexions seen on these walls were the natural, common skin tone of the Nile Valley Africans, the true Children of the Sun. Far removed from the "fair" and "fine" features that Eurocentric narratives often use to dilute their African identity, the figures depicted are unmistakably Black Africans, with their cultural traditions and ancestral lineages rooted firmly in the heart of ancient Africa. The vibrant, powerful hues serve not only as artistic expression but as historical proof of a Black civilization that thrived and shaped the foundations of Nile Valley culture.

The funerary chapel of Maya, discovered in 1906 by Ernesto Schiaparelli’s archaeological mission at Deir el-Medina, stands as a powerful testament to the authentic beauty and identity of the ancient Nile Valley Africans. Located just meters from the tomb of Kha, Maya’s chapel featured mudbrick walls covered with a plaster mixture of fresh mud and straw, painted after drying. The colors used—sourced from minerals and plants like ochre for red and yellow, charcoal for black, limestone carbonate for white, and malachite for vibrant blues and greens—were blended with water and gum Arabic, producing rich, lasting hues. These paintings were exceptionally preserved, though not entirely intact, and were carefully removed and transported to Italy in 1906 by restorer Fabrizio Lucarini. Using a delicate process called "strappo," Lucarini adhered canvas to the painted surfaces to lift the plaster without damaging it, preserving the art in remarkable condition.