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A Dynasty Born in Fire

Features July/August 2024

By Jarrett A. Lobell

How an upstart Maya king forged a new social order amid chaos
Maya Guatemala Ucanal Excavation
(Courtesy Proyecto Arqueológico Ucanal)
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Maya Guatemala Ucanal Excavation
Archaeologist Marta Perea excavates a deposit near the top of a temple at the site of Ucanal in northern Guatemala. The deposit included the remains of four members of Maya royalty, 1,500 fragments of personal ornaments, and 10,000 marine shell beads. The deposit was related to a fire ceremony conducted by Papmalil, king of the K’anwitznal Kingdom, at the beginning of the ninth century A.D.
Maya-Guatemala-Ucanal-Funeral-Mask-Parts
Pieces of greenstone (above) and obsidian (top) from a Maya funeral mask were discovered in a deposit of material that was removed from a royal tomb in antiquity.

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Jarrett A. Lobell is editor in chief at ARCHAEOLOGY.

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