Maya King’s Remains Uncovered

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 25 — The jade-encrusted remains of a powerful Maya king have been unearthed in Honduras by a Japanese archaeologist, in a key finding from the ancient and mysterious civilization, the tourism ministry said Friday.

THE REMAINS belong to one of the 16 rulers of the Maya dynasty that ruled the city of Copan, in what is now Honduras, between A.D. 426 and 763, the ministry said.

       Archaeologist Seiichi Nakamura, who made the discovery, said the king may have served between the 6th and 10th regimes of the Copan dynasty.

       The tomb contained a skull, a femur, an ornamental breastplate and kneecap with jade inlays. There were eight large boxes of offerings, including jade figures, seashells and ceramic flasks.

       “It’s the largest quantity of offerings in the Copan Valley,” Nakamura said.
       Nakamura said the tomb also held the remains of a 2-year-old and a woman. “Both were sacrificed in honor of the king,” he said.
       Nakamura is the director of the Integral Program of Conservation of the Archaeological Park of Copan and since 1993 has investigated archaeological sites in Honduras. Among his team were Hondurans Fernando Lopez and Melvin Fuentes.

       The tomb was dug up in August but was only recently confirmed to hold the remains of a Maya king.
       The discovery means that the remains of eight of Copan’s 16 rulers have now been found.
       The burial site was located at a religious temple that lies among ruins stretching across 214,000 square feet. A total of twenty recoverable buildings, 36 skeletal remains and other objects were found at the site.
       The newly uncovered area is about 2 miles from the acropolis of Copan, where the Honduras government is constructing a highway. Engineers came across the site during construction.

 The Maya culture sprung up in the region spanning southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and is renowned for its imposing edifices, social organization, astrological advances and the existence of a calendar.

       Archaeologists and scientists still do not fully understand the causes of the civilization’s decline, although some suspect that long periods of drought caused by changes in solar activity may have been a leading factor.

       The Maya ruins in Honduras are among the impoverished nation’s most visited tourist attractions.

All information contacted in this story was written by the Associated Press and Reuters.  This story was provided for educational use only.