The ruins of Chochikitam in Petén, northeastern Guatemala, are nestled in a dense rainforestIn 2022, archaeologists discovered a mysterious jade mask in the remains of one of the stolen Mayan tombsIt is believed that this mask belonged to a Mayan king. Shells, human bones carved with patterns and writings, and other burial objects were also found in the tomb.
Location of Petén, Guatemala.
Coincidentally, no
Located in the heart of the Mayan Classical Period (200 to 900 AD), the archaeological site is of great significance.
Mayan jade mask.
The remains of King Chochkitam were found at the site, human bones carved with patterns and hieroglyphs, a stone box in the shape of a coffin, some ceramic vessels, multiple pieces of jade and some shells. Archaeologists assembled the scattered pieces of jade together to create a jade mask.
Archaeological site. Scholars say that the discovery of this archaeological site is a bit like winning the lottery, and it is hard to imagine that a stolen tomb in the rainforest could contain such an important artifact, which is like opening a window into a vague era that is almost unwritten, revealing many questions that puzzle archaeologists.
Archaeological treasures
Jade has a profound cultural and spiritual significance to the Mayans, and is revered as a protector of both the living and the dead. Jade masks are often used to symbolize gods or ancestors, and when used as burial offerings, they signify wealth and power for the deceased.
Mayan jade mask.
Some of the human bones found in the tombs were covered with elaborate carvings and hieroglyphs that recorded information about the Mayan kings in the tombs. The carving on one of the bones depicts a man holding a mask of a Mayan deity in his hand, and this mask is the same as the jade mask found in the tomb.
Bones with patterns engraved.
Scholars deciphered the Mayan hieroglyphs in it, which the ruler calleditzam kokaj bahlam，In Mayan texts it means "sun god bird jaguar", which is indicated by radiocarbon dating of bonesHe ruled the land around 350 AD. And that deity is the Mayan god of storms, whose name can be translated as "the first rain god".
Restore a fragment of the Mayan Jade Mask.
The Maya were not a unified dynasty, but a civilization of many city-states. The artwork found in the tomb of this Mayan king, as well as the remnants of the building, seem to confirm an increasingly popular theory that the Mayan royal family of the land may have been enslaved by other Mayan city-states or even Indians in that era, and that this Mayan ruler was in fact a vassal or even a puppet of others.
Fragment of the Mayan Jade Mask.
Objects from other powerful city-states in Mesoamerica at the time were found in this tomb, along with the carved motifs mentioned aboveAll echo the statement that this Mayan city-state was a vassal of others.
Mayan jade mask with carved bones.
Scholars believe that although no inscriptions of vassals have been found directly, it can be inferred that these people may have been direct vassals of the Mayan city-state of Tikal and indirect vassals of Teotihuacan.
Carved patterned bones.
There's more to know about the kings of Chochikitam and their vague connections to other city-states in the early Mayan classical era. Scholars are conducting ancient DNA studies from bones found at the site in an attempt to uncover more hidden treasures in this abandoned pyramid.