Mayan tomb holds startling discoveries

Some 1,600 years ago, a Mayan king died in the Guatemalan city of (really) El Zotz. Professor Stephen Houston, the researcher from Brown University who led in the discovery and exploration of his tomb, found it filled with offering of the best of Mayan textiles, carvings, and pottery - and the bones of six children who appear to have been sacrificed. The tomb had been sealed so so well that even the smells of the bodies and other contents remained. Houston said, “These items are artistic riches, extraordinarily preserved from a key time in Maya history. From the tomb’s position, time, richness and repeated constructions atop the tomb, we believe this is very likely the founder of a dynasty.”