A mysterious skeleton of a 1500-year-old Mayan queen is discovered alongside a sacrificed HUMAN CHILD

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A mysterious skeleton of a 1500-year-old Mayan queen is discovered in an underground pyramid of Guatemala alongside a sacrificed HUMAN CHILD – and archaeologists say his king could be buried nearby

  • Archaeologists have found burial chambers inside one of the three pyramids
  • Finger bones and a skeleton of an elderly woman were found with precious objects
  • These discoveries and the location of the tomb suggest that it belonged to a queen
  • A significant ritual activity including the jaw of a sacrificial child was also dug up

By Yuan Ren For Mailonline

Published on: 12:20 pm EDT, May 1, 2019 | Update: 12:34 EDT, May 1, 2019

The complete skeleton of a Mayan queen from 1500 years ago was discovered in a pyramid hidden in the Guatemalan jungle.

The excavation of the three pyramids of the complex also helped to unearth the skull of a beheaded child buried in a well.

Archaeologists suggest that a deeper grave in the pyramid where the queen was found might also contain her husband's body.

The discoveries will be featured in the first episode of a new National Geographic documentary that begins this Sunday, May 5th.

The complete skeleton of a Maya queen (pictured) dating back to 1500 years ago was discovered in the Guatemalan jungle in a pyramid

The complete skeleton of a Maya queen (pictured) dating back to 1500 years ago was discovered in the Guatemalan jungle in a pyramid

The identity of the skeletal remains found in a pyramidal chamber in the Holma region, an archaeological site of the Mayan civilization near the current border with Belize, is poorly known.

Using radar technology known as LIDAR, archaeologists exploring the area outside the city of Witzna have discovered newly recognized pyramids, including a watchtower.

Archaeologists say that they are convinced that one of the pyramids belongs to a queen, found in one of the two funerary chambers containing human remains.

Inside one of the pyramids, researchers found finger bones and the severely decomposed skeleton of an elderly woman.

It is thought that she was a queen because of precious objects found next to her body and the burial site.

The discovery probably means that at least one "king" was buried there as well and that the remains of up to five kings could be present in the larger complex, say the archaeologists.

The three previously unknown pyramids were found on the outskirts of the city of Witzna, in the Holma region, along a causeway leading to the outside of the city.

One of them was believed to be an old watchtower with a military vocation.

Pyramid discoveries on Holma will be featured in the first episode of a new National Geographic documentary that begins this Sunday, May 5th. The picture shows a decorated pot bearing the face of the sun god discovered during excavations.

Pyramid discoveries on Holma will be featured in the first episode of a new National Geographic documentary that begins this Sunday, May 5th. The picture shows a decorated pot bearing the face of the sun god discovered during excavations.

Who were the Mayans?

The Mayan civilization flourished in Central America for nearly 3,000 years, reaching its peak between 250 and 900 AD.

Recognized as the only fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, the Mayans also possessed cutting-edge arts and architecture, as well as mathematical and astronomical systems.

During this period, ancient peoples built incredible cities using advanced machines, gained an understanding of astronomy, and developed advanced farming methods and precise calendars.

The Mayans believed that the cosmos shaped their daily lives and used the astrological cycles to know when to plant crops and define their calendar.

This led to theories that the Mayans might have chosen to place their cities next to the stars.

It is already known that the Chichen Itza pyramid was built according to the location of the sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.

When the sun sets on these two days, the pyramid creates a shadow that aligns with a sculpture of the Maya serpent god's head.

The shadow makes the body of the snake so that when the sun goes down, the terrifying god seems to slide down to the ground.

The Mayan influence is visible from Honduras, Guatemala and western El Salvador to central Mexico, more than 1,000 km from the Mayan region.

The Mayan people have never disappeared. Today, their descendants form considerable populations throughout the region of Maya.

They maintain a distinct set of traditions and beliefs that result from the fusion of precolumbian and postconquest ideas and cultures.

The excavations of the watchtower revealed a skull and decapitated teeth belonging to a sacrificed child, buried in a deep well at the foot of the watchtower.

Other ritual activities were discovered, including a large amount of broken pottery that would come from sacrificial offerings deposited at the top of the pyramid.

A carved stone monument showed traces of burns and a violent destruction of his sculptures.

Scientists claim that this could constitute further evidence of ritual events or military attack.

In addition, beautiful ritual pottery including a rare and intact "chocolate-maize vase" was discovered with inscriptions bearing the name of the king who owned it.

Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli, Guatemalan project director at Tulane University, said, "It's amazing how much information we can extract from this simple object.

Using radar technology, archaeologists exploring the area outside the city of Witzna have discovered newly recognized pyramids, including a watchtower. The photo shows a human skull discovered in the Holma excavation complex

Using radar technology, archaeologists exploring the area outside the city of Witzna have discovered newly recognized pyramids, including a watchtower. The photo shows a human skull discovered in the Holma excavation complex

"Because of the inscription and the place where it was found, we know the identity, the political and family relations of the owner and even the moment of his death.

"None of this would have been possible if the looters had found it first!"

The discovery is documented by a new series entitled The Lost Treasures of the Maya, which will air weekly from Sunday, May 5 on National Geographic.

It will showcase some of the most amazing Maya discoveries discovered with the latest laser technology.

WHAT IS LIDAR TECHNOLOGY AND ITS OPERATION?

Lidar is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by firing a laser at a target and analyzing reflected light.

The technology was developed in the early 1960s and uses laser imaging with radar technology to calculate distances.

It was first used in meteorology to measure clouds by the National Center for Research on the Atmosphere.

The term lidar is a coat stand of "light &" radar & # 39;

LIDAR uses ultraviolet, visible, or near-infrared light to image objects and can be used with a wide range of targets, including non-metallic objects, rocks, rain, chemical compounds, aerosols, clouds, and other objects. even unique molecules.

A narrow laser beam can be used to map physical features with very high resolution.

This new technique allowed researchers to trace the contours of what they describe as dozens of newly discovered Mayan cities, hidden under thick jungle foliage for centuries after their abandonment by their original inhabitants.

Aircraft equipped with a Lidar scanner produced three-dimensional maps of the surface using pulsed laser light associated with a GPS system.

The technology has helped the researchers to discover sites much faster than the use of traditional archaeological methods.

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