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Archaeologists in Belize announced in 2025 that they had found the tomb of Te K'ab Chaak, the first king of the Maya city of Caracol, untouched for about 1,700 years and holding a mosaic death mask of jade.

Caracol, Belize, 2025

HistoryArchaeology

The story behind the card

Te K'ab Chaak took the throne around AD 331 and founded the dynasty that ruled Caracol, one of the largest Maya cities, for about five centuries. His tomb held jadeite jewellery, pottery and the jade mosaic mask. Archaeologists Arlen and Diane Chase of the University of Houston have dug at Caracol since 1985, and this is the first tomb there they could link to a named ruler. Other finds from the same years, including a cremation with vessels in the style of Teotihuacan, the great city in central Mexico about 1,100 km away, show that Caracol was in touch with it early on.

Türkçe oku
Maya kenti Caracol'un ilk kralı Te K'ab Chaak'ın mezarı 2025'te Belize'de gün yüzüne çıktı. Yaklaşık 1.700 yıldır el değmemiş mezarda yeşimden mozaik bir ölüm maskesi vardı.
Caracol, Belize, 2025

Te K'ab Chaak MS 331 dolayında tahta çıktı ve en büyük Maya kentlerinden Caracol'u yaklaşık beş yüzyıl yönetecek hanedanı kurdu. Mezarında yeşim takılar, çanak çömlek ve yeşim mozaik maske bulundu. Houston Üniversitesi'nden arkeologlar Arlen ve Diane Chase 1985'ten beri Caracol'da kazı yapıyor; adı bilinen bir hükümdara bağlayabildikleri ilk mezar bu. Aynı döneme ait başka buluntular, örneğin Teotihuacan üslubunda kaplar içeren bir ölü yakma gömüsü, Caracol'un yaklaşık 1.100 kilometre uzaktaki bu büyük Orta Meksika kentiyle erkenden ilişki kurduğunu gösteriyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Caracol
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