Caracol
Caracol
Belize · Cayo
In brief
Caracol is an important Maya city in Belize where extensive residential areas, agricultural terraces, and monumental structures have been excavated. Its inscriptions and tombs provide information about the city's political history and the lives of its elites.
What was found?
- 1Tomb attributed to Te K’ab Chaak
According to researchers, the tomb found beneath the floor of a sacred structure belonging to the royal family belongs to the founder of the Caracol dynasty. It provides an important assemblage of finds for studying the dynasty's beginnings.
- 2Jadeite mosaic funerary mask
A mask assembled from pieces of jadeite was found in the tomb. It is an example of elaborate funerary furnishings and stone craftsmanship associated with elites.
- 311 ceramic vessels
The vessels in the tomb bear depictions of rulers, deities, and bound captives. One vessel depicts Ek Chuah, the god of merchants.
- 4Jadeite jewelry
Jadeite jewelry and worked beads were found in the burial. These are regarded as grave goods reflecting the individual's high status.
- 5Spondylus shells of Pacific origin
The seashells placed in the tomb are of Pacific origin. They are among the materials documenting Caracol's connections extending to coastal regions.
What does it point to?
The grave goods show that rulership, religious imagery, and precious materials came together in the same funerary arrangement. According to researchers, this tomb and nearby related burials shed light on the contacts of early Caracol elites across Mesoamerica.
What did it teach us?
- According to the excavation team, revealed the first tomb at Caracol that can be associated with a specific ruler.
- According to researchers, related burials showed that elite contacts between the Maya world and Central Mexico extended to before the entrada event of 378.
- Ceramic depictions made it possible to examine narratives of power and divine legitimacy during the early dynastic period.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
In 2025, a tomb with a jadeite mask and rich offerings was discovered, which the excavation team attributed to the dynastic founder Te’ Kab Chaak.
Record
- Culture
- Maya
- First modern dig
- 1950
- Team / historical
- Arlen F. Chase ve Diane Z. Chase; Houston Üniversitesi ve Belize Arkeoloji Enstitüsü
- Coordinates
- 16.7639°, -89.1175°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 1,800-year-old belt buckle decorated with colored enamel found in Ukraine
A metal belt buckle found in Tsetsyn Forest was dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD based on its decoration and manufacturing features. Researchers say the find, which may have belonged to a Sarmatian mounted warrior, could help explain military and cultural relations along the Roman frontier; its owner's identity has not yet been confirmed.
Arkeofili ↗ - Chemical traces of cannabis use found in a 2,800-year-old tomb in Siberia
Cannabis seeds from the Tunnug burial mound were dated to 800–760 BC; signals matching cannabis compounds were also detected in human hair. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that cannabis may have been used in funerary rituals for its psychoactive effects.
Arkeofili ↗ - Traces of iron production during the Golden Horde period found in Kazakhstan
Investigations in the Bayanaul region uncovered iron slag containing preserved charcoal; radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal dated production to the Golden Horde period. The finds provide new evidence of how nomadic communities met their needs for tools and raw materials.
HeritageDaily ↗ - 10,500-year-old worked wood found beneath a lake in Germany
Worked wood, stone tools and animal bones were found at a depth of about 20 metres in Lake Arendsee. The rarely preserved wood directly documents Mesolithic woodworking techniques; whether the pieces belonged to a structure has yet to be established.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Five wooden wells from the Iron Age and Roman period found in England
Pipeline excavations in Hampshire uncovered five wooden wells, four attributed to the Iron Age and one to the Roman period. Wood from one well was dated to 719–396 BC; preserved tool marks and traces of repairs reveal ancient water supply methods.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Faience production workshop discovered at Sanam temple in Sudan
A faience workshop containing hundreds of beads, a funerary figurine and production remains was found in the Sanam temple complex. According to the researchers, the workshop helps explain how Kushite rulers strengthened their political power by controlling the production of valuable objects.
Arkeofili ↗ - Gold bear figure found in a Saka-period tomb in Kazakhstan
A small gold bear figure, provisionally dated to the 4th–3rd centuries BC, was found in the Karagaily burial mound in Almatı. According to the researchers, holes in the figure suggest that it may have been sewn onto a ceremonial headdress; the find provides new evidence about Saka clothing and decorative traditions.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Eight 5,000-year-old loaves of bread found at Seyitömer Höyüğü
Excavations in Kütahya uncovered eight loaves of bread preserved by charring in a fire, along with wheat and lentil remains. Found alongside the remains of an oven and shelves, the food provides direct evidence of diet and household food storage practices in the Early Bronze Age.
Arkeofili ↗
All excavation sites (435)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
