In 1952, Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier opened the most elaborate ancient tomb ever discovered in the New World deep inside the Pyramid of the Inscriptions at the spectacular Maya city of Palenque. Twenty years later epigraphers translated its inscriptions and confirmed that the occupant was Janaab’ Pakal, now known as Pakal the Great, the primary builder of monumental central Palenque. During his reign in the 7th century A.D., Palenque radically extended and consolidated its authority over the surrounding territory. The ceremonial core of the capital was greatly enlarged and embellished. Today, Palenque remains the most dramatic and artistic of the great Maya cities, thanks in large part to Pakal the Great.
According the inscriptions on his massive tomb (first translated in the 1970s), Pakal was born on March 23, 603. He assumed the throne in 615 and died on August 29, 683 at the remarkable age of 80, having ruled for 68 years. The only problem is that the scientists who studied the remains of the man in the tomb described him as a robust male adult in his 40s. Was Pakal 40 years old as the discovery team estimated, or 80 years old as the epigraphers read the inscriptions? The accuracy of Maya epigraphy was at stake.
In 1999, an international team of scientists under the supervision of the Autonomous University of the Yucatán re-examined the remains, left largely in situ in the tomb because of their advanced deterioration. This volume is the general report of those examinations, as well as those on the “Red Queen,” whose tomb was discovered next door in 1995. While a bit technical for the layperson, it is a captivating story of modern forensic science with fascinating new information about the greatest Maya king and his family. Is the controversy resolved? Probably, and it’s worth the read to learn how.
