Waka was an ancient city on what used to be a major trade route during the Late Classic period of Maya civilization, which began in the second century A.D and lasted for around 7 centuries.

At the city's height, tens of thousands of people probably lived there and over the course of its history it was ruled by 22 kings. It now seems that the royal tomb of the founder of Waka' may have been uncovered. The tomb contains a single skeleton lying on a stone bench, jade jewels, and the remains of a jaguar pelt.

It lies at the base of an 18 meters tall pyramid, which is the largest at the site. "We are trying to identify the remains, which appear to be in good condition despite the collapse of the tomb's roof," wrote David Freidel, an archaeologist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, on his Web site. "This may be the resting place of either the dynasty founder, a man we do not have a history for, or K'inich B'alam the First, the Maya king who allied with Siyaj Ka'k', conqueror of Tikal [a major Maya city] in AD 378."

The tomb was discovered by archaeologist Hector Escobedo of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and graduate student Juan Carlos Melendez. Freidel and Escobedo were the first to excavate at this site deep in the jungles of Guatemala. The site was discovered back in the 1960s by oil prospectors.

This is the second royal tomb found there. In the spring of 2004 Freidel and his colleagues discovered a queen's tomb more than 1,200 years old and dated to the Late Classic period of Maya civilization. See the location of Maya sites here.

On May 2 a third royal tomb has been found in another pyramid, which probably is about 400 years younger than this newly opened tomb. The latest tomb was not yet opened but elaborate offerings of figurines of ballplayers, elegant women, dwarfs, and seated lords indicate the occupant's royal status.

Photo Credits: Southern Methodist University, Dallas