The unexpected grave of the jade-toothed 'queen of Maya'

The find comes from the Chiapas Branch of the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). In the process of searching for a toilet located in the Palanque archaeological complex in the south of the country, scientists accidentally opened a grave at least a few hundred years old, located 1.8m deep underground. .

A scientist next to the grave of "Queen Maya" has just been found.

According to Ancient Origins, the age isn't the only thing that makes the tomb special, it's the people inside. It and a woman were traditionally laid on their side in Maya graves, surrounded by numerous burial paraphernalia of jade and precious stones.

More specifically, the woman used to have her teeth made - of course, not with porcelain enamel like modern people, but her teeth were covered and corrected with something even more precious: jade. This kind of dental coating is a clear proof that she is a person of high status and extremely wealthy.

The tomb is elaborately built, located next to a gem processing workshop. Around the tomb, there are many remains of pottery and stone tools. It is not clear how this factory and the "Maya queen" in the tomb are related.

The team is led by the renowned archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz of INAH, who unearthed the "Red Queen" tomb in 1994. It was a Maya woman almost buried in treasure: jade , pearls, seashells, bone artifacts. all over the body; on his breast was a delicate veil of jade and opals, and on his head was a crown of jade.

The woman was covered with red cinnabar powder, so she was called the "Red Queen", who died in 600-700 AD.

The new tomb is not as lavish as the Red Queen's and dates back at least a few hundred years, to pre-Hispanic times. However, so many things inside are enough to show the status of the person in the grave. There are no records to help scientists identify this mysterious "Maya queen".