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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jennifer Nalewicki

Maya ruler burned bodies of old dynasty during regime change, charred human remains reveal

Dozens of jade pieces that would've once been a Maya mask.

A large, charred deposit containing royal human remains and ornaments found inside a Maya temple-pyramid was likely part of a "dramatic and public ritual" during a regime change.

Archaeologists discovered the aftermath of the destructive event in K'anwitznal (also called Ucanal), an archaeological site in northern Guatemala, according to a study published Thursday (April 18) in the journal Antiquity.

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