Pakal died August 28, 683 CE at age 81. His son K'inich K'uk' Bahlam II completed the Temple of Inscriptions as his tomb, containing a 20-ton sarcophagus lid. The lid shows Pakal falling through the World Tree into the underworld to be reborn among gods and ancestors. Alberto Ruz Lhuillier opened it in 1952. 🕯️
Pakal's tomb discovered in Temple of Inscriptions in 1952
MexicoGeneral
Key facts
- Pakal died on August 28th, 683 CE at age 80
- His son K'inich K'uk' Bahlam completed the Temple of Inscriptions as his tomb
- The tomb is accessed through an interior staircase and contains a 20-ton sarcophagus lid (15-ton base, 5-ton top)
- The sarcophagus lid shows Pakal falling down the World Tree (axis mundi) into the underworld to be reborn among gods and ancestors
- The temple contains 617 hieroglyphs across three panels telling his story and connecting him to the Palenque triad god G1
- The inscriptions indicate the Maya calendar would not reset until 4,772 CE (20 baktuns, not 13)
- Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz opened the tomb in June 1952
Site mentioned
Sources
The Wonders of the Sarcophagus of Pakalthoughtco.com
Placed over Pakal's tomb was a massive sarcophagus stone, laboriously carved with an image of Pakal himself being reborn as a god.
Temple of the Inscriptionsgrokipedia.com
Following the death of K'inich Janaab' Pakal I in 683 CE, his son and successor, K'inich Kan B'alam II, directed key modifications to the Temple of the ...
The Tomb of K'inich Janaab Pakalmesoweb.com
by S Guenter · Cited by 20 — Finally, K'inich Kan Bahlam II, their son, recorded his accession and the fact that it was he who finished the decoration of the Temple of the Inscriptions.
Pakal the Great: Governor, time traveler and Mayan astronautchichenitza.com
K'inich Janaab' Pakal was a Mayan governor of the Palenque region between the years 615 and 685, a period of advancement and prosperity for its inhabitants.
Discovering an ancient Maya king's tomb at Palenqueartsq.org
On August 28, 683 CE, K'inich Janaab' Pakal died at 81 years old in the ancient Maya city of Palenque. He'd ruled since he was 12 years old— ...
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