Overview

• Archaeologists completed excavation of the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak in early July, marking the first confirmed royal burial at the Caracol site.
• The burial chamber contained eleven pottery vessels, carved bone tubes, jadeite jewelry, a mosaic jadeite death mask and Pacific spondylus shells.
• Specialists are reconstructing the jadeite mask to study its design and ceremonial significance.
• Ancient DNA and stable isotope analyses are under way to trace the ruler’s origins and chart pre-378 AD Maya–Teotihuacan diplomatic networks.
• Full results from the interdisciplinary studies will be presented at the Santa Fe Institute’s Maya–Teotihuacan conference in August 2025.