Posted on 10/21/2010 8:11:19 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
For two weeks we had been tunnelling beneath the surface of the acropolis hill at the ancient Maya city of Waká in Guatemala's Petén rainforest. It was the spring of 2006, and we knew that under the surface of the acropolis was a virtual layer cake of earlier structures. The acropolis had been one of the city's enduring spiritual centers before it was abandoned around A.D. 820. A large pyramid and several buildings still stand there today.We were at the bottom of a shaft we had dug the previous spring, working our way up the stairs of a buried building when we encountered a stone wall. Over five days a team led by Field Director Michelle Rich removed the wall and cleared away the dirt behind it. Gradually, it became clear that the wall was part of a tomb whose roof had collapsed. Inside were the remains of an unnamed king who had died in the early seventh century A.D., and was buried with an intriguing array of artifacts. The variety of luxury items in the tomb is a testament to the kingdom's wealth -- intricately carved and painted bones, miniature mosaics of shell and agate, a carved jade talisman, a serpentine figurine already more than a thousand years old when it was placed in the tomb, mirrors faced with pyrite crystals -- but the most intriguing find was a carefully arranged set of 23 ceramic figurines between four and nine inches tall wearing the elaborate costumes of Maya nobility.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Vibrant figurines found in a 1,300-year-old tomb at the city of Waká reveal the ancient Maya ceremonies of burial and resurrection. A figure probably representing the successor king, left, and his queen, right, seemed to preside over the funeral. (Ricky López)
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Great read. Thanks for posting. I have been reading the National Geo article on the Aztecs. Now this treat on Maya. Thanks!
bflr
Talk at ya’ll later.
Those figurines prove one thing.
The king and queen must have eaten a lot of maize.
G’night all!
Maize king. Isn’t that what we people call “corn”?
Evidently even mayan rulers let the job swell their heads.
I flew over the Peten forest where Waka's located a few years ago. It's very dense and still hides many Mayan secrets. The Guatemalan pilot pointed out several sites that are basically unexplored. I'd love to go back.
I believe I saw these figures at a current exhibit in Fort Worth. If these aren’t the same ones, the ones I saw were very similar.
:’)
Interesting.
Looks like they were reelin’ in the ears.
I am fascinated by headresses. For instance, why is the headress of the Lamas so similar to the Hawaiians.
http://www.khandro.net/tibbud_colours.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawaiian_feather_helmet,_British_Museum_3.jpg
I am fascinated by headresses. For instance, why is the headress of the Lamas so similar to the Hawaiians.
http://www.khandro.net/tibbud_colours.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawaiian_feather_helmet,_British_Museum_3.jpg
Severed head of Maya maize god unearthed in Palenque
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/06/severed-head-of-maya-maize-god-unearthed-in-palenque/143755
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