Texas archaeologists discover the tomb full of treasures of the former Mayan ruler in Belize

The tomb of a Mayan king has been discovered by Texas archaeologists in Caracol, Belize, who mark the first time that researchers in the ancient city have found the identifiable resting place of a ruler.

Caracol dates back to 900 a. C., according to the Archaeological Project of Caracol, and lasted centuries until the collapse of the Mayan civilization in 800-900 AD. At its peak, the city had a population of more than 100,000 people. Today, the city is the largest Mayan archaeological site in Belize, according to the project.

Archaeologists have been working on the site for more than 40 years. Husband and Woman Team Arlen and Diane Chasewith the University of Houston, they have been doing excavations there for decades. The couple directs the Caracol archaeological project. During their most recent expedition, carried out in association with the Institute of Archeology of Belize, they found the first identifiable tomb of a Caracol ruler. The grave was under another funeral chamber, which the researchers first discovered in 1993.

Te K’ab Chaak was the first ruling of Caracol and the founder of his royal dynasty, said the University of Houston in a press release. He took power in the 331 of AD.

The persecutions found that he had been buried at the base of a royal family sanctuary in approximately 350 d. The death mask was found in dozens of pieces.

Many ceramic pieces were recorded. One showed a deity scene that received offerings. Others showed tied prisoners.

The persecutions were able to determine that you k’ab chaak was “elderly” at the time of burial. He had no remaining teeth, and had about 5 feet, 7 inches high at the time of his death.

“It is one of our most important findings,” Diane Chase told the University of Houston. “We find the first person in the dynasty so that, in them dynastic “,” “,”, “”, “,” “,” “,” “,” “,” “” “”.

This is the third grave found in Caracol that dates back to around 350 AD 350. A tomb, found in 2009, contained the remains of a woman, along with jewels, shells and ceramic containers. Another internment site was a cremation container containing the remains of three people, two large knives and several other relics associated with central Mexico. In the year 350 AD, the old Maya had began to have contact with the central city of Teotihuacán de Teotihuacán. Archaeologists believe that cremated individuals probably included a member of the Caracol Royal Family who had embraced Mexican ritual practices and may even have served as sent to Teotihuacan.

For decades, archaeologists have wondered how Teotihuacán may have influenced Mayan SocietyDiane Chase said in the press release. Mexico City had a greater presence in Caracol in the 378 of AD, but the three burials were a generation before that, which indicates that the early Mayan rulers were “completely entangled in the previous Mesoamerican contacts” to the records that the records led the researchers to believe.

“Mayan carved stone monuments, hieroglyphic dates, iconography and archaeological data suggest that generalized pan-meso-American connections occurred after an event in 378 AD. “Caracol’s archaeological data suggest that the situation was much more complicated.”

The tomb of Te K’ab Chaak will continue. Archaeologists are working to rebuild the Jadeite death mask and perform DNA analysis and isotopes in skeletal material. More excavation information will be presented at an academic conference on the Mayan interaction -Tetihuacan in August, said the University of Houston.

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