US EditionTomb of Caracol's Founding King Reveals Early Maya-Teotihuacan Ties
CARACOL, BELIZE, JUL 10 – The tomb reveals early Maya governance and diplomatic ties with Teotihuacan around 350 AD, marking Caracol as a major political center, University of Houston archaeologists 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.
30 Articles
30 Articles
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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