In a pristine and perplexing area amidst the looted Maya pyramids, archaeologists have uncovered a unique treasure.
According to Heritage Daily, the mysterious artifact belongs to a Maya king, which initially perplexed archaeologists as it emerged in the form of jade fragments.
This remarkable archaeological discovery comes from the Chochkitam site, a lesser-known Maya city located in Northeast Peten, Guatemala.
The terrifying treasure in the Maya king’s tomb is a mask representing the head of a deity – (Photo: RUBÉN SALGADO ESCUDERO)
Based on the inscriptions found within the complex, archaeologists have determined that Chochkitam was a royal city with lineage tracing back to the Preclassic period (approximately 2000-1000 BCE).
Initially excavated in 1909, this complex continues to reveal numerous new mysteries.
Among these, a LiDAR survey—a form of laser remote sensing—conducted in 2021 uncovered a tunnel that tomb raiders had dug into the central structure of a royal pyramid over the centuries.
They removed treasures, leaving a devastated area. However, upon closer inspection, the intruders had overlooked a specific area inside a chamber within the pyramid.
The “inviolable” area left untouched by the tomb raiders revealed a human skull, several bone fragments, a stone sarcophagus, and various burial goods or offerings, including a pot, oyster shells, and many unusual jade pieces.
Scientists spent several years reassembling the jade fragments to create a haunting mask, an artifact never before seen in ancient Maya tombs.
Interestingly, the tomb also contained several carved bone fragments and hieroglyphs, indicating that the name of the interred individual was Itzam Kokaj Bahlam.
On one bone fragment, there is an image of a king holding the head of a Maya deity. That head bears a striking resemblance to the jade mask!
“Everything suggests to us that this is the tomb of a Maya king, a part of the royal Maya network within the influence of Tikal and Teotihuacan,” said Professor Estrada-Belli from Tulane University (USA), a member of the archaeological team, to National Geographic.
Tikal and Teotihuacan were the greatest city-states of Central America during the Maya period, with contemporary empires dominating the region, sharing similarities in civilization, trade, and rich diplomacy.
It remains unclear why this area containing the invaluable treasure was overlooked during the extensive and elaborate tomb raiding at Chochkitam, but it is evident that the tomb raiders’ “misdirection” has left science with a unique discovery.
