Maya civilization

Archaeologists decipher name of a Maya astronomer for the first time

Archaeologists working at the ancient Maya ruins of Xultun in northeastern Guatemala have deciphered the name of a Maya astronomer-mathematician for the first time: Sak Tahn Waax, or "White-chested Fox." The discovery, published Monday in the journal Antiquity, links an…

13-year drought drove Maya civilization collapse 1,000 years ago

A stalagmite deep within a Mexican cave has revealed that a devastating 13-year drought helped drive the collapse of the Maya civilization around 1,000 years ago, according to research published today in Science Advances. The study provides the most detailed…

Tomb of first Maya king Te K’ab Chaak unearthed in Belize

Archaeologists from the University of Houston have made a groundbreaking discovery in Belize, unearthing the 1,600-year-old tomb of Te K'ab Chaak, the first ruler of the ancient Maya city of Caracol and founder of its royal dynasty, complete with elaborate…