Strange mysteries in the ancient tomb of Maya

An intact grave is believed to have been discovered by the ancient Maya king, inside there is a bowl of human fingers and precious stones.

The lid of the ceramic bowl is full of fingers and human teeth.They can be a form of sacrificial food.Photo: National Geographic.

Scientists say the 1,600-year-old tomb was discovered on May 29 under the El Diablo pyramid in El Zotz, Guatemala. It is full of carvings, pottery, cloth and bones of 6 children. These babies may have been sacrificed during the burial of the king.

"There is still a lot of work to do to learn about this grave," said Stephen Houston , an archaeologist at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. "The royal tomb usually contains a huge inventory of mysteries and needs many years to fully understand."

According to Livescience, before actually discovering the tomb, the archaeological group had noticed an odd thing at the ancient temple they were excavating. They knew that this temple was built in front of the worship of the sun god - a symbol of Maya rule.

"When we dug into a hole in the small room of the temple, we encountered a series of strange things - a bloody red bowl full of human fingers and teeth, all wrapped in a substance. After that, we dig one layer after another, including flat rock mixed with mud, which can be used to keep the tomb intact and free from air. to enter".

Finally, the researchers reached the innermost layer to reveal a small hole.

They lowered the light bulb into it and suddenly Houston saw countless colors that appeared before her - green, red and yellow. It was a tomb of kings filled with things Houston had never seen before: wood pieces, cloth, and a thin layer of mortar paint.

"When we opened the grave and I poked my head in, it was astonishing, a cold air flow made me feel like a snake," Houston said. "This room has been sealed very tightly, for over 1,600 years, making no water and gas enter".

The tomb is 1.9 m high, 3.7 m long and 1.2 m wide, possibly to bury a man.

Researchers believe that the grave may be a king they only know based on hieroglyphs. "These grave objects are artistic and surprisingly preserved at a time in Maya history," Houston said. "From the position, time, wealth and tomb construction architecture, we believe it most likely belongs to the person who founded a dynasty."

Maya civilization flourished about 2,000 years ago in the Central American region, now southeastern Mexico, northern Guatemala and Honduras. The Maya have reached a high level not only in the field of state construction but also in architecture, mathematics and astronomy.

The grave is 1.9 m high, 3.7 m long and 1.2 m wide is closed to the outside world for over 1,600 years.

Statue of a god or a god on the lid of an ancient bowl.

The lid of this bowl has mysterious patterns that scientists think can illustrate the compass direction.

Confusing motifs on an ancient bowl are found in the grave.

Gems with gems may belong to the tomb owner.

The figure of a mysterious monkey is located on the top of the ancient bowl lid found in the grave.

Researchers measured at the path leading down to an ancient area.