Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

The magazine of WestJet Airlines featured Dr. Jaime Awe, and Belize.  The finding of Xunantnich's first royal tomb and the stone panels found inside it are a big part of the article.  

"Last summer, while excavating the remains of the Mayan city of Xunantunich, one of the top archaeological destinations in Belize, Awe and his team uncovered a royal tomb along with two hieroglyphic-engraved stone panels. While the tomb is a rare find, the discovery of the panels is even more exciting. They are the missing pieces of a ceremonial staircase, originally erected in the ancient city of Caracol, which tell the story of the Snake Dynasty and Lord K’an II of Caracol’s military victory at Naranjo, Guatemala. When Caracol was later overthrown by Naranjo, the staircase was dismantled and the panels scattered throughout the region. One theory is this was an attempt to destroy the legacy of the empire, another is that the panels were distributed as 'war booty' to allies."

Xunantunich is making world archaeological news!  The find sounds very unique.  Time for a visit to the Maiden of the Rock.

"Archaeologists have discovered a royal tomb belonging to a ‘snake dynasty’ more than a thousand years old, containing treasure, hieroglyphs and a human body.  The discovery was unearthed at the ruins of Xunantunich, an ancient city which was once home to the Mayan civilisation beginning around 750 BC until political collapse saw cities abandoned in ninth century AD.  The Maya peoples developed the Mesoamerican civilisation and were renowned for their fully develope hieroglyphic script, as well as ornate architecture.  It is thought that the tomb may be the largest of its kind to be found in the ruins.  Most strikingly, it appears the tomb is custom-built, rather than attached to an existing structure, a rarity for the period."