A rare artifact crucial to determining hitherto unknown facts about the ancient Mayan civilization has just made its way to Victoria.
The impressive stone monument revealed to the public in an unboxing at the Royal BC Museum on Thursday afternoon belongs to the Classic Maya period (CE 544) and was uncovered by archaeologists 2 years ago.
It is inscribed with the portrait of an early local ruler, Chak Tok Ich’aak, who was previously unknown to historians.
“The discovery allows us to identify an entirely new king of La Corona who apparently had close political ties with the capital of the Kaanul kingdom, Dzibanche, and with the nearby city of El Peru-Waka,” said Dr. Marcello A. Canuto, director of the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane University and co-director of the La Corona Regional Archaeological Project.
This structure, titled La Corona Altar 5, is one of several artifacts to be featured in the Royal BC Museum’s upcoming Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises exhibition.
Here’s an exclusive video of the unboxing event:
Royal BC Museum Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises exhibition
- When: May 17 – December 31, 2019
- Where: Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville St
- Admission: Click here to purchase tickets to the exhibit
