Secrets beneath the stones

Archaeologists working in the recently excavated tomb of a Maya ruler. — Caracol Archeological Project/University of Houston via The New York Times

THE archaeologists worked beneath the towering ruins of Caracol, the largest Maya city in Belize, piercing the floor of a structure they had explored years before.

Beneath it, they uncovered a chamber untouched for 1,700 years – still holding the remains of a ruler alongside treasures: a rare mosaic death mask, jadeite jewelle­ry, shells from the Pacific and exquisitely decorated pottery and bone.