Maya ruler burned bodies of old dynasty during regime change, charred human remains reveal

A large, charred deposit containing royal human remains and ornaments found inside a Maya temple-pyramid was likely part of a "dramatic and public ritual" during a regime change.

Archaeologists discovered the aftermath of the destructive event in K'anwitznal (also called Ucanal), an archaeological site in northern Guatemala, according to a study published Thursday (April 18) in the journal Antiquity.

After hauling away soil in bags and carefully sifting through their contents, researchers uncovered bits of scorched human bones, as well as hundreds of pieces of personal adornments made from valuable materials, according to a statement.

"There was a large concentration of soot, carbon and ashes mixed with burnt bones and fragments of jadeite and marine shells that were so severely burned that they had cracked and exploded," lead study author Christina Halperin, a professor of anthropology at the University of Montreal, told Live Science. "At first we didn't know what we were looking at."

But then researchers discovered the remnants of a greenstone mask made of jade and two obsidian pieces that would have served as pupils for the mask, similar to other Maya masks worn by royalty.

Related: Maya nobility performed bloodletting sacrifices to strengthen a 'dying' sun god during solar eclipses

"It didn't hit home that we were looking at ornaments until we found the diadem [crown]," Halperin said. "Only royal individuals would have worn something like that. We knew it had to be a royal tomb."