In the Epiclassic period (650-900 AD) Maya tribesmen emigrating from the Gulf settled on the Altiplano in Cacaxtla. The meeting of Maya influences with those from Teotihuacán (in decline) is illustrated in the extraordinary murals. Well-preserved thanks to a fine layer of sand covering them and the tenacity of the so-called (indigo-based) “Maya” blue, they show superb battle scenes in which human-scale bird-warriors and jaguar-warriors clash.