In an unlikely location in the archaeological site of Palenque – Mexico, the noble and mysterious “Maya queen” rests in a treasure-filled tomb.
The find comes from the Chiapas Branch of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (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 1.8 m below the ground soil.
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 are traditionally laid on their side in Mayan 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’s” 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.
However, the experts did not find any inscriptions or artifacts to help them confirm the identity of the “Red Queen”. For more than 20 years, experts have been trying to determine the identity of the “Red Queen” but have not come up with accurate results. But with the artifacts discovered in the tomb, archaeologist Jimenez speculates that the “Red Queen” remains may belong to a royal woman related to K’inich Janaab Pakal I – the king of the Maya. . Research results also show that the “Red Queen’s” diet is mainly meat and has extremely strong teeth.
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”.
