Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Burnt remains of Maya royalty mark a dramatic power shift

Finds in pyramid at Guatemalan site suggest that remains were disinterred and desecrated in a public ritual.
Carved pendant plaque of a human head from the burial.

A stone pendant was among the thousands of beads and other ornaments found in a Maya pyramid. Credit: C. Halperin

The ancient Maya were organized into several kingdoms, some of which began to collapse from around AD 760. Archaeologists have now found evidence for the ritual burning of the remains of Maya royals — an event that probably marked a major change in the political regime of one Maya kingdom1.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 628, 693 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01075-8

References

  1. Halperin, C. T., Perea Carrera, M. L., Miller Wolf, K. A. & LeMoine, J.-B. Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.38 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Assistant Professor

    Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Cell and Molecular Physiology Department at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

    Maywood, Illinois

    Loyola University of Chicago - Cell and Molecular Physiology Department

  • Chief Editor

    We are looking for a Chief Editor to build and manage a team handling content at the interface of the physical and life sciences for the journal.

    London or Berlin - hybrid working model.

    Springer Nature Ltd

  • Junior and Senior Staff Scientists in microfluidics & optics

    Seeking staff scientists with expertise in microfluidics or optics to support development of new technology to combat antimicrobial resistance

    Boston, Massachusetts (US)

    Harvard Medical School Systems Biology Department

  • Postdoctoral Fellow in Biophysics

    Seeking ambitious biophysicists to fight antimicrobial resistance with new technology at the interface of microfluidics and optics

    Boston, Massachusetts (US)

    Harvard Medical School Systems Biology Department

  • Recruitment of Principal Investigators by the School of Life Sciences, Peking University

    The School of Life Sciences at Peking University is actively seeking talents, with an emphasis on bioinformatics/computational biology/AI/RNA biology.

    Beijing (CN)

    School of Life Sciences, Peking University

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links