In the first semester of this year 2010, during the search for proper conservation of the Bonampak murals a new discovery was made in this Mayan archeological site in Chiapas, Mexico. A crypt with the bones of a man, accompanied by pottery and jade ornaments has been found in a tomb that is thought to be over 1300 years old. The finding was made below the second quarter of the Temple of Paintings and the remains of the character, still to be examined with further detail, could correspond to a prisoner of war as those embodied in the mural The Battle, or it could also be a close relative of Chaan Muan II, who ruled the site from 776 to 792 of our era. 

The discovery is the result of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary project conducted by the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The project aims to identify the characteristics of the foundations of that building and, based on this, implement an optimal method for the conservation of the prehispanic paintings. The use of a penetration radar on the surface of the temple resulted in the detection of a hollow space in the landfill, once excavated the presence of a burial chamber was confirmed. The timing of the burial is located towards the end of the eighth century, when Chaan Muan II ruled from 776-792 AD. So far, Chaan Muan II is considered to have been the last ruler of Bonampak and who ordered the creation of the murals in the Temple of Paintings, consisting of three rooms completely decorated with mural paintings on his throne, walls and vaults. Archaeologist Tovalín Alejandro Ahumada, who led the excavation, said the discovery consists of a simple burial chamber, 2.20 m long, 70 centimeters wide and 75 high, and a white stuccoed vault of just 35 centimeters high.

Source: translated from the article in El Universal Mexican Newspaper.