New aerial photos show themed rockwork panels now installed on the upper portion of the Mayan temple being built for Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is the most visible sign of progress yet on the attraction, which is part of the upcoming Tropical Americas land.
What the Photos Show
The top tiers of the temple structure now have their carved rockwork exterior in place. The panels form a red and tan stone pattern with turquoise accents, matching the concept art and scale model Disney has previously shared. Carved blocks and recessed openings are visible across the finished section.
The lower portion of the structure is still exposed steel framing wrapped in gray mesh. A mobile crane is positioned nearby, and additional panel sections are staged on the ground waiting to be installed.
The Building Underneath
The temple is being built in front of and over the former DINOSAUR attraction building. The retheme is a core part of the new Tropical Americas land. Disney has not announced a completion date for the exterior, but the project continues to track toward a 2027 opening.
What Disney Has Said About the Design
Disney officially named the attraction Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent at D23 Expo 2026. At that event, Imagineers shared details about the temple’s design approach.
Project lead Joan Hartwig said the temple was designed to look as it would have during active use, rather than the excavated, layered look common to real Maya sites today. Maya archaeologist Dr. Ivan Batun walked through specific symbols built into the design, including the Witz, a figure representing an entrance to the underworld, and Chaac, the Maya rain god.
Former Imagineer Joe Rohde noted that the glyphs covering the structure were written by Dr. Marc Zender, an epigrapher at Tulane University, and that they can be read by specialists the same way real archaeological inscriptions can.
What to Watch For
With panels staged on the ground and a crane active on the site, work on the lower tiers is the clear next step. The exterior should continue to fill in over the coming months as the Tropical Americas land moves toward its 2027 debut.
Written by
Rachel Van Norman
Contributing Writer
Rachel fell deeply in love with all things Disney as a little girl. Now as a wife and a mother herself, she shares this Disney obsession with her son and everyone around her. From her love of princesses to eating all the Disney food, Rachel spends her time radiating Disney magic and keeping everyone up to date on Disney news.
