US EditionTomb of Caracol's Founding King Reveals Early Maya-Teotihuacan Ties
BELIZE, JUL 10 – The tomb of Te K'ab Chaak, Caracol's founding king, contains artifacts showing early Maya trade and political ties, with his dynasty lasting over 460 years, researchers said.
- Researchers affiliated with the University of Houston have uncovered the tomb of Te K'ab Chaak, recognized as the inaugural ruler of Caracol, an ancient Maya city located in Belize, with the discovery announced in 2025.
- This discovery followed over 40 years of excavation led by Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase, who have been studying Caracol's complex history and Maya-Teotihuacan relations.
- Te K'ab Chaak became the ruler of Caracol in 331 AD and was buried around 350 AD near a royal shrine, accompanied by jadeite ornaments, pottery, and various artifacts.
- The Chases observed that the ruler was elderly and approximately 5'7" tall, and they highlighted a longstanding debate among Maya archaeologists dating back to the 1960s regarding whether Mexicans from Teotihuacan were responsible for introducing a new political system to the Maya region.
- This find supports that elite Maya kings, including Te K'ab Chaak, engaged in formal diplomatic contacts with distant Teotihuacan, suggesting pan-Mesoamerican interactions at the highest societal levels.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Te K’ab Chaak ascended to the throne in 331 A.D. and his dynasty extended over almost five centuries. Archaeologists from the University of Houston have just discovered the tomb of this powerful Mayan monarch, the first ruler of the ancient city of Caracol, a site that is currently in ruins but was key to dominate the southern part of the Yucatan peninsula from 560 to 680, before his abandonment in 900 after Christ.Keep reading...
Mysterious 1,600-year-old Mayan tomb belonging to ancient king discovered
American archaeologists have unearthed the tomb of the first ruler of the ancient Maya city, Caracol, in Belize, a major centre in the Maya Lowlands during the sixth and seventh centuries.Houston University archaeologists and married couple Arlen F Chase and Diane Z Chase uncovered Caracol's king, Te K'ab Chaak's tomb which dates back to 350AD.He took the reigns and founded the royal dynasty in 331AD.It is the first time any identifiable royal t…
Caracol’s First King: A Tomb Reveals Ancient Maya Power and Trade
Archaeologists from the University of Houston, working under Belize’s Institute of Archaeology, have uncovered the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, the founding ruler of Caracol, Belize’s largest ancient Maya city. This marks the first time in over forty years of research at Caracol that experts have found a royal burial directly linked to a named […]
Lost tomb of ancient king buried with chilling death mask found in Mayan temple
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the 1,700-year-old tomb of the earliest known ruler of the ancient Maya city of Caracol. The tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, who once ruled over what is now modern-day Belize, was filled with a trove of ancient burial items. Wolfgang SauberThe funerary mask of King Pakal of Palenque shows what the mask found in Te K’ab Chaak’s tomb might have looked like[/caption] Caracol Archaeological Project / University of HoustonArchaeo…
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