Archaeologists unearth rare 7th century mask showing Mayan ruler in his old age

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient stucco mask thought to depict the face of the Mayan ruler ‘Pacal the Great.’

The remarkable 7th century artifact is unlike most such treasures as it represents the king in his old age, with visible wrinkle lines.

Pacal ruled from the time he was just 12 years old, until his death at the age of 80.

Researchers unearthed the mask during excavations at the Palenque archaeological site in the Mexican jungle.

The 20-centimeter (7.8 inch) stucco mask was found by a team with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) during an investigation of the temple’s ancient drainage system.

Palenque sits in the southern state of Chiapas, on the border of Guatemala.

According to Institute Director Diego Prieto, the mask appears to show the face of K'inich Janaab' Pakal – also known as Pacal the Great.

If it is, in fact, Pacal, the experts say it would be the first of its kind.

The mask includes wrinkle lines around the mouth and cheeks, which would make it ‘the first representation we have of an old Pacal,’ Arnoldo González Cruz from INAH said.

Archaeologists unearth rare 7th century mask showing Mayan ruler in his old age

Ancient Mayan discovery: 7,000years-old skeleton unearthed in Mexican cave

Human remains dating back as far as 7,000 years have been found in a cave in southern Mexico. Experts believe the skeletons belong to the earliest-known ancestors of the country’s ancient Mayan civilization.

Researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropological History (INAH) discovered three sets of remains during a search of the Puyil cave in the Tacotalpa municipality of Tabasco state in Mexico. One set is thought to be around 7,000 years old, while the other two are estimated to date back 4,000 years.

Archaeologist Alberto Martos said the find was especially interesting as the age of the bones marks a time when humans were transitioning from being hunters to more sedentary creatures.

“There were different groups during this time that used the caves, clearly it wasn't a domestic cave,” Martos said in a statement. “In prehistoric times it was probably used for rituals and cemeteries so as to dispose of remains of people. For the Maya, it was a cave of ancestors.”

“This cave was used by the Maya, they respected the remains that were already there and left their own remains inside."

The remains, which are on display along with other artifacts in Mexico City’s Anthropology Museum, are not the only major Mayan cultural finds in recent times. In February, archaeologists recovered a treasure trove of relics and remains from the world’s largest underwater cave in the Yucatan peninsula. The discovery included fossils of a type of ancient elephant, giant sloths and a shrine to a Mayan god. It’s believed that desperate animals ventured into the caves in search of water at times of severe drought, some of which then became trapped.

Ancient Mayan discovery: 7,000years-old skeleton unearthed in Mexican cave