A Massacre in Guatemala... 1,200 years ago

Here is a discovery to remind us that the saga of violence in Guatemala is a terribly gory and tragically long one:

Archaeologists have discovered what they believe was the gruesome scene of a royal massacre in the ancient city of Cancuén, once one of the richest cities in the Maya empire.

The bones of 31 executed and dismembered Maya nobles were found in a sacred reservoir at the entrance to the royal palace in Cancuén in the Petén rain forest of Guatemala.

Researchers also found a shallow grave nearby containing the skeletons of two people they believe were the king and queen.

The bones of more than a dozen executed upper-class Maya were found at a third burial site north of the royal palace.

The apparent executions—along with the discovery of unfinished defensive walls and houses—suggest that the city was wiped out by an invading force around A.D. 800, a critical moment at the beginning of the mysterious collapse of the great Maya empire.

Mass Graves Reveal Massacre of Maya Royalty
Stefan Lovgren, National Geographic News

And the "Guatemalan irony" part of this story?

"We're looking at it as an ancient war crime," said Vanderbilt University archaeologist Arthur Demarest, co-leader of a U.S.-Guatemalan excavation team.

"We know who was killed, and we've proved they were assassinated. The question is: Who did it, and why?"

To help find out, Demarest enlisted the Forensic Anthropological Foundation of Guatemala, experts in the archaeology of mass murder.

Perpetrators of ancient war crime sought
Guy Gugliotta, The Washington Post

That's right... the very Forensic team that exhumes and investigates the mass graves where modern-day Mayans were massacred by the Guatemalan army and civil patrols during the armed conflict, is being called in to investigate this ancient mass execution.

And once again I say "only in Guatemala!"

Other Resources:

Interviews: Uncovering a Mayan Massacre - NPR talks with Demarest about his research team's latest finds in the Petén jungle region of Guatemala. (Audio)

Tags: Guatemala, Maya, Mayans, Cancuén, Massacre