'Death mask' of ancient Mayan king found in secret chamber deep inside pyramid

08 March 2024 , 06:24

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A view of Temple of Inscriptions where the object was found (Image: (Image: GETTY))

Archaeologists were amazed to find a Mayan 'death mask' in the tomb of a long-lost 'Great King'.

The Mayans used to live in a place called Mesoamerica, which is now part of Central and Northern America. Scientists have found signs that people lived in Belize around 1800 BC. We don't know much about why their society ended, but they left behind lots of items that help us understand who they were.

One object that was found interested the researchers - an ancient death mask found in Palenque, Mexico. They found it while they were digging at the Temple of Inscriptions, which was built by King Pacal the Great.

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Pacal's tomb complete with inscriptions relating to the afterlife on his sarcophagus' lid ((Image: GETTY))

King Pacal was one of the greatest rulers the Maya ever had. He was in charge for about 70 years, which is the longest anyone ever ruled them, reports the Express. During his time as king, Pacal made lots of changes and built Palenque from nothing. He turned it into a busy place for trading and selling things. This was shown in a documentary called 'Sacred Sites: Maya'.

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In the middle of the 20th century, archaeologists working on the temple floor found a secret passage to a room deep inside the Temple of Inscriptions' pyramid. Inside, they found a stone box covered by a stone lid.

After taking off the lid of the sarcophagus, the workers discovered a "death mask" entirely made of jade and immediately realised they had stumbled upon the remains of someone important. Further inspection revealed hieroglyphs which identified the person inside as King Pacal.

King Pacal the Great's jade death mask was found deep inside the pyramid during excavations ((Image: Youtube/Smithsonian Channel))

The tomb surrounding him was covered in hundreds of illustrations that chronicled his journey into the afterlife, mirroring the kind found in the tombs of ancient Egypt's renowned pharaohs. These images depicted King Pacal's journey from Earth through the Underworld, finally being reborn in the Heavens. The documentary narrator observed this narrative to be the very "essence of Mayan religion".

Many years later, another relic associated with Pacal came to light - a second mask depicting the king in his old age, complete with wrinkles and smile lines. This unique find was made by a team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Diego Prieto, the institute's director, said: "Palenque continues to astonish us with everything it has to offer archaeological, anthropological, and historical research." Despite King Pacal's efforts in establishing Palenque as a powerful city, it was abandoned in the 8th century and over time, reclaimed by the jungle.

Joel Day