Building on a find by a Southern Methodist University specialist on
Mayan ruins, a Guatemalan archaeologist has uncovered the remains of
what could be an ancient Mayan king's tomb deep in the rain forest of
Guatemala's largest national park.
Dr. Héctor Escobedo, co-director of the Waká Archaeological Project
with SMU's Dr. David Freidel, has unearthed a royal tomb beneath the
principal pyramid in the western center of Waká.
Waká was a Mayan city in Laguna del Tigre, the national park in
northern Guatemala. The discovery was made by Dr. Escobedo, an
archaeologist at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, and his
student Juan Carlos Meléndez.
This marks the second royal tomb discovered at Waká. Two years ago, Dr.
Freidel and his SMU students discovered a queen's tomb that was more
than 1,200 years old and dated to the late classic period of Mayan
civilization.
The new tomb was discovered in a different pyramid and dates to the
early classic period between the second and fourth centuries A.D.,
according to SMU officials.
"We are trying to identify the remains, which appear to be in good
condition despite the collapse of the tomb's roof," said Dr. Freidel in
an e-mail exchange with the university. "This may be the resting place
of either the dynasty founder, a man we do not have a history for, or
K'inich B'alam the First, the Maya king who allied with Siyaj K'ak',
conqueror of Tikal in A.D. 378."
The site, discovered by oil prospectors in the 1960s, contains 672
monumental structures and countless smaller houses. Harvard researcher
Ian Graham recorded the site's monuments in the early 1970s, but the
SMU project is the first to undertake scientific excavations.
The national park is under duress from vandals and cattle ranchers who
burn the forest for grazing. The Guatemalan government has collaborated
with Dr. Freidel and a team of 20 archaeologists, along with
conservationists and residents, to protect the park. It is home to the
endangered scarlet macaw.
Known as Waká in Mayan inscriptions but called El Perú today, the site
was possibly a city of tens of thousands that sat on a crucial river
route west of the famous Mayan site of Tikal. Over the course of 700
years, 22 kings ruled at Waká.
Lilián Garrido, director of Dr. Escobedo's lab in Guatemala City, told
The Dallas Morning News in a phone interview Monday that the new tomb
was discovered April 28. Though she didn't know details, she said they
"suppose it was the tomb of someone important."
She said both Dr. Escobedo and Dr. Freidel will remain at the site for several weeks.
She can't yet say how this will help researchers understand Mayan
history. "We can't be sure until we finish digging," Ms. Garrido said.
For more information, visit www.smu.edu/waka.
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Last Updated ( May 10, 2006 at 05:34 PM )
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