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2mo ago

Caracol’s Founding King’s Tomb Fully Excavated as Mask Reconstruction and Bioanalyses Begin

Researchers are reconstructing a jadeite death mask paired with bioanalyses to illuminate early Maya–Teotihuacan diplomatic ties before an August conference

Diane Z. Chase in the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak with vessels in the foreground and jadeite mask to the left and the south wall niche.
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Overview

  • University of Houston–led excavations have fully catalogued the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, Caracol’s founding ruler dating to around 350 AD, at the site’s Northeast Acropolis.
  • Archaeologists documented eleven pottery vessels, carved bone tubes, jadeite jewelry, a mosaic death mask and Pacific spondylus shells among the grave goods.
  • Artifacts and burial practices indicate formal diplomatic exchanges between Caracol’s early kings and Teotihuacan predating the recorded 378 AD entrada.
  • Ongoing work includes reconstruction of the jadeite mask along with ancient DNA and stable isotope analyses of the ruler’s remains.
  • The full suite of findings and interdisciplinary results will be presented at the Maya–Teotihuacan conference in Santa Fe this August.