Cacaxtla is a hillside site located on the Puebla-Tlaxcala border in central Mexico. It flourished between AD 650 and 900, and was home to as many as 10,000 people.

Cacaxtla may be best known for the colourful murals that adorn its stucco walls and entry jambs. The artists painted the murals with white, black, red, yellow and blue pigments, all made with natural ingredients. The bright blue pigment used at Cacaxtla and other Mesoamerican sites has been extensively studied by modern scientists because it is extremely resistant to chemical and natural decay, and has remained brilliant through centuries of environmental weathering. Scientific analysis of the pigment has revealed that it is made with a natural clay called palygorskite mixed with dye from indigo plant leaves. Scientists have called the pigment Maya Blue, because it was widely used by Mayan artists and potters, and is found almost exclusively in Mesoamerica.

The colour blue had important symbolic significance to the people of Mesoamerica, and was often used during ceremonies and sacrifices. This helps us today to differentiate the figures in ceremonial or battle scenes. The Cacaxtla murals display another important characteristic. At the time the murals were painted, written communication was reserved for the elite. However, the murals contain numerous glyphs that seem to have been intentionally designed for the general public to read and understand.

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