A small remote-controlled camera peered inside a 1,500 years old tomb of a Mayan ruler and discovered red wall paintings, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl.
Discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid, the tomb was among the wrecks of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, Reuters reported.
Until now, archaeologists have not been able get access into the tomb, which was believed to hold the remains of a Mayan ruler who lived between AD 431 and 550, the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a release on Thursday.
As the tiny camera was dropped 16 feet (5 meters) deep through a small hole at the top of the pyramid, the researchers saw red paint and black Mayan figures drawn on its walls.
The characteristics of the funeral site show that the bones could belong to a sacred ruler from Palenque, probably one of the founders of a dynasty, said archaeologist Martha Cuevas.
A general view shows the exterior of the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutThe entrance to the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas is seen in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutThe inside of a tomb of a Mayan ruler, that has been sealed for 1,500 years, is seen in southern Mexico, in this handout photograph released by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera was used to peer inside the tomb, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. The tomb was discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. But until now archeologists had not been able to access the vault believed to hold the remains of a Mayan ruler who lived between AD 431 and 550, the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutThe interior of the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas are seen in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutRed frescoes are seen inside the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutThe interior of the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas are seen in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/HandoutThe interior of the tomb of a Mayan ruler at the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas are seen in this undated handout photo by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) released June 23, 2011. A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. Archeologists had not been able to access the vault discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins until now, the INAH said in a release on Thursday.REUTERS/INAH/Handout
