A life - sized stucco masque depicting one of ancient Mexico ’s most well - jazz rulers has been discovered tucked away at the Mayan Palenque Palace , according to the state ’s National Institute of Anthropology and History ( INAH ) .
K’inich Janaab ‘ Pakal , known as King Pakal the Great , became king of Mexico at the age of 12 and for 68 years ruled over the ancient Mayan city , chartering construction of some of the area ’s ok computer architecture and elaborate building . Wrinkle line of merchandise around the oral cavity and cheeks of the masque map him as an old man and , if proven to be him , would be the first of its kind .
" It is remarkable , unlike other Mayan website where representation are generic , in Palenque many of the features we see in [ the ] mural house painting or gem sculpture are close reflections of specific characters , " state archaeologist Benito Venegas Duran in astatement .
The masque was get word in a building called “ House E ” . Other ritualistic objects were also buried with the masque , including ceramic figures , pearls , fragments of jade , obsidian , a pyrite urbane mirror , carve castanets and flints , and skeleton in the cupboard of turtles , lounge lizard , small bird , and escargot . Palenque was a Maya city land in southern Mexico from 226 BC to AD 800 located near the Usumacinta River , archaeologists believe ancient residents had developed a special relationship with the river and offered object to encourage its ecological sustainability .
Nearby , another bodily structure ( now called “ House C ” ) would have been used around the same time . Archaeologists conceive there was a pool to the northerly death of a space between the two house measuring 6.5 meters ( 21 feet ) long by 3.5 meters ( 11.5 feet ) wide of the mark and 20 to 30 cm ( 8 to 12 inches ) deep . These two places have some of the salutary examples of mural house painting in Palenque , one of which is the site where Pakal was crowned as a young boy , according to an oval gravestone draw him obtain a headgear from his female parent . Archaeologists also uncovered a statuette resemble a river prawn , with lilies and Pisces the Fishes accompanying it . Together , they believe these items present the importance of the aquatic world in the sphere and the society ’s reliance on the nearby river .
The archaeological team is working under a grant to rejuvenate the historic area to prevent succeeding damage . They say they will lead a morphologic analysis before continuing excavations .
