Archeologists discover Maya tomb: "discovery of a lifetime"?

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/Reuters: Archeologists discover Maya tomb
Thursday, May 4, 2006

EL PERU WAKA, Guatemala (Reuters) -- Archeologists outsmarted tomb raiders to unearth a major Maya Indian royal burial site in the Guatemalan jungle, discovering jade jewelry and a jaguar pelt from more than 1,500 years ago.

The tomb, found by archeologist Hector Escobedo last week, contains a king of the El Peru Waka city, now in ruins and covered in thick rainforest teeming with spider monkeys.

He may have been the dynastic founder of the city, on major Mayan trade routes that could have stretched from the city of Tikal in Guatemala up through Mexico.

"If this is indeed the founder, then it is a discovery of a lifetime," said David Freidel of Southern Methodist University in Texas, who co-directs the project with Escobedo....

***

On Tuesday, another team of archeologists found what could be a second royal grave in a pyramid up the hill from the tomb....That tomb has yet to be opened, but judging by an elaborate offering of a dozen miniature figurines of ball players, elegant women, dwarfs and seated lords found inside the pyramid, the burial site is likely to contain more royal remains, archeologists said....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/05/04/guatemala.tombs.reut/index.html

[Robeson]

1. Very interesting....

...thanks for posting. If he is the actual dynastic founder of the city, this would be an amazing find.