Archaeologists in Belize have uncovered the 1,600-year-old tomb of Te Okay’ab Chaak, the founding ruler of Caracol—one of the vital highly effective Maya cities of the Basic Interval. In line with Reside Science, the invention, made by researchers from the College of Houston, marks the primary time a clearly recognized royal tomb has been discovered on the website in over 4 a long time of excavation.
Te Okay’ab Chaak, whose identify interprets to “Tree Department Rain God,” assumed the throne in 331 CE. His tomb, dated to round 350 CE, was positioned within the metropolis’s Northeast Acropolis—a ceremonial and residential advanced simply past the city core. Inside have been jade beads, carved bones, seashells, a mosaic jade dying masks, and pottery vessels that includes Maya deities and rulers receiving choices.
The tomb is certainly one of three just lately unearthed within the space. Whereas earlier finds at Caracol—equivalent to central Mexican artifacts found in 2010—instructed affect from Teotihuacán, these earlier tombs seem to belong to native Maya royalty, predating that contact by a era.
Te Okay’ab Chaak was estimated to be about 5 toes and seven inches tall and toothless on the time of his dying, doubtless at a sophisticated age. The dynasty he established endured for greater than 460 years.
At its peak, Caracol housed greater than 100,000 folks and coated 68 sq. miles. It included causeways, agricultural techniques, and big constructions just like the 140-foot-tall Caana pyramid—nonetheless among the many tallest in Belize. The positioning is positioned within the highland jungle of Belize’s Cayo District, southeast of Tikal.
Arlen Chase, who co-leads the Caracol Archaeological Undertaking, stated in a press release the invention sheds new gentle on town’s early rulers and their diplomatic hyperlinks throughout Mesoamerica.
