Archaeologists believed to know the history of the Maya. Until they found the tomb of the first King of Caracol

Forty years are nothing. Not at least if we talk about the archaeological research of Snailan ancient and impressive Mayan city located in what is Belize today. Although the teachers Diane and Arlen Chasefrom the University of Houston (UH), they have been excavating the deposit for more than four decades had not yet found one of their Great treasures Occults: a grave of almost 1,700 years in which the remains of Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruling of Caracol and founder of a powerful dynasty that lasted for almost five centuries rest.

The finding is key for what he reveals to Te K’ab Chaak, but also about his context. “They rewrite the Mayan history”, They claim From the UH.

In a remote place by Belize … The Chiquibul Forest Reserve He hosts one of Belize’s most important (and impressive) Mayan deposits: the ancient city of Caracol. It is believed that at its peak came to occupy an area of almost 100 km2, with agricultural fields and careful urban planning, and welcomed 100,000 inhabitants. That without counting its geopolitical weight in the Mayan civilization and its participation in wars with neighboring towns, such as Tikal either UCANAL.

One of the most fascinating constructions that has been preserved in Caracol is Caanaa majestic royal palace and ceremonies center raised around 600 or 700 AD (during the period Late classic of the Mayan civilization) and that reaches 43.5 meters high, which led its discoverers to give it the name with which we know it now: Caana, which means “place of the sky” in Maya.

Ancient city, new surprises. Although the researchers have been studying the snail site for decades, they had not yet found one of their greatest treasures. At least until now. The couple of archaeologists formed by Diane and Arlen Chase, of the UH, has just discovered A surprising finding Under the canopy of an acropolis located to the right of the Palacio de Cana: a tomb of ago 1,700 years. A real grave, to be more precise. And not anyone.

His dweller is You k´ab chaakwho amounted to the throne towards The 331 AD His figure is crucial in the history of Caracol for several reasons. He is considered the first ruler of the city and founded a real dynasty that would last 460 years.

“We knew we had something”. A few days ago Arlen Chase He reported to The New York Times (Tnyt) The exact moment of the finding and how the archaeologists intuited that they had found something great just to take a look at the grave, the color of the cinnabar, its ceramics and the mask located on the side.

“As soon as we saw the camera we knew we had something,” recalls Arlenwho still remembers what his first impression was: “My God, this is much more important than he believed.” Logical. A Te K´ab Chaak had buried him at the foot of a real family sanctuary with 11 vessels, carved bone tubes, jewelry made with jadeíta, a funeral mask made with accounts of the same material and shells of Spondylus (a genus of bivalve) of the Pacific.

Among gods. “The vessels. The finding brings new clues about Te K´ab Chaak, who amounted to the throne in the year 331 of our era and whose grave is the first of three important burials dated Maya of the merchants, surrounded by offerings. Four of the vessel rulers of Caracol as part of their names “, Point out The University.

Knowing Te K´ab Chaak. The finding provides information about Te K´ab Chaak, who amounted to the throne in 331 AD and whose grave is the first of three burials dated Towards 350 AD The sovereign was the first ruler of the Mayan city and set a real dynasty that would last for four and a half centuries, covering much of its history. The UH remember that the metropolis played a relevant role in Mayan history and dominated part of the southern Yucatan between 560 and 680 AD ended up abandoned around 900 DC

Thanks to the remains located in the grave, the Chase have concluded that at the time of their funeral you k´ab chaak was a sovereign major, who had already lost his teeth and measured around 1.7 meters. “The early classical period is the time when the rulers claim that they supervise everything, completely away from the rest of the population. That changes at the end of the period, especially in Caracol, when after the success of the war against Tikal, they begin to share wealth with the general population. Not this person,” Comment.

Does it reveal anything else? Yes. Light. And that is one of the reasons why the finding of the Chase has generated so much expectation. For a start, Remember The researchers, is the first grave of an identifiable ruler after more than 40 years of work in Caracol. It also provides valuable information to better understand its context, the connections of the Mayan world and its contact with Teotihuacánone of Mesoamerica’s greatest archaeological complexes and that in 300 AD had already become a city that marketed with all of Central America.

“The Mayan monuments of carved stone, the dates, the iconography and the archaeological data suggest that the generalized Panmeso American connections occurred after an event in the 378 DC called ‘input'”, remember Diane Chase. In Caracol tombs archaeologists have found however artifacts that leads them to look at central Mexico and Teotihuacán. Problem? The burials located in Caracol date from 350 AD, “at least one generation before the recognized theotihuacan presence.”

But … What does that mean? “Both central Mexico and the Mayan area knew the ritual practices of the other party, as reflected in the Caracol cremation,” Reflect Arlen Chase. The clues included in the Belize necropolis point out therefore that the first Mayan rulers maintained contacts “at the Mesoamerican level” before even the “entrance” of Teotihuacán that was recorded in their sizes. “The connections between the two regions were made at the highest levels, which suggests that the initial kings of several Mayan cities, such as Te K´ab Chaak in Caracol, had diplomatic ties with Teotihuacán.”

Revelation also tells us about pre -Columbian villages, willing to undertake long journeys. Right now a car trip between Teotihuacán, in Mexico, and Caracol, in Belize, demands more than 23 hours. On foot only the first leg would require more than five months, 153 days. “Everyone thought that Teotihuacán was so important because there was nothing similar at that time in Mesoamerica, so the assumption had been that Teotihuacán dominated everything, including the Maya,” Arlen adds. “This finding indicates that they were just another political actor.”

Images | University of Houston (UH)

In Xataka | Mayan bones that tell a terrifying story: that of ritual violence against prisoners of war