Researchers have discovered what is believed to be the 1,300-year-old remains of a Mayan prince.
They made the discovery in the ancient city of Uxul, which is in southern Mexico near the border of Guatemala.
Although the man probably died sometime in the 800s, his remains were remarkably still intact, allowing scientists to guess that he was around 20- to 25-years-old when he perished.
The previously untapped tomb was excavated by researchers at the University of Bonn. Heading up the project was Kai Delvandahl.
“We feel that the person that was buried there is a son of a local ruler, someone who was not in direct line to the throne, but we feel this ruler still had certain connections to the Calakmul dynasty,” Delvandahl said.
Inside the tomb were also numerous artifacts, including a ceramic plate covering the man’s skull.
There were hieroglyphics also painted on some of the items. Researcher translations showed that a goblet had the inscription, “[This is] the drinking vessel of the young man/prince.”
However, the deceased is not believed to have been in direct line for the throne, since other status markers of that time were not uncovered in the tomb.
The reason it took so long to discover this tomb is that much of the city of Uxul is inaccessible for as many as 10 months out of the year due to rampant weather problems.
