It’s a discovery that’s capturing global attention and it’s happening right here in Belize. Deep in the heart of the ancient Maya city of Caracol, archaeologists have uncovered what they believe to be royal tombs, possibly belonging to a powerful leader. This major find is rewriting what we know about the Maya civilization and its surprising connections to one of the largest ancient cities in Central Mexico. Today, we sat down with the legendary research duo, doctors Arlen and Diane Chase, who’ve been unearthing Caracol’s secrets since 1985, to learn more about what this means for Belize and for history.
Dr. Arlen Chase, Professor, University of Houston
“I just knew that we had a tomb, and tombs are normal in Caracol. We dug over a hundred and seventy tombs. So, it was not until we started to get into the chamber and they started excavation along the eastern wall and uncovered a big pile of jadeite chips. It took a while to understand what they were. They are not chips, but pieces of jade. It turns out there was a fallen death mask in the chamber. That was a sign to me that this was a very unusual tomb, because we do not get jade death masks in chambers. We already knew that the tomb was covered in cinnabar, a red pigment, which says it is a very important individual. But it is the death mask the signaled how important this chamber was. We have only found one of these in our career and it was in Santa Rita Corozal in 1985.”
Dr. Diane Chase, Provost, University of Houston
“There are so many important discoveries that we have been able to make at Caracol and this is one of them. Alter twenty-one that writes about the conquest of Tikal by Caracol. The first use of Lidar among the Maya ruins was done at Caracol. Mapping of the residential terraces to show that this was a city that had agriculture. All of those are incredibly important. But this one is unique, because it is the first time we have identified someone we believe was part of the royal dynasty at Caracol and that is huge. What is even more important is that it showcases that the dynasty is internal to Belize, internal to Caracol. It was not started by someone from outside the country at a distance.”