In the year 1952, the Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz discovered the tomb of King Pacal inside the Temple of Inscriptions of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. This region was once protected by a number of logs placed in a defensive and fortified way around the temples of Palenque. At the entrance of the temple there were a total of 620 inscriptions near the tomb of King Pacal who, according to the symbols, was born in Palenque, started ruling over the Mayan empire when he was 12 years old and remained in power for a total of 65 years before his death at the age of 80. One of the curiosities is that the Temple of Pacal is the only pyramid in the new world where a crypt was found, defining the pyramid as a burial place just like the ancient Egyptians.
The tomb weight reached the 20 tons and it was build better than the entrance stone that was removed before the findings, which make archeologist believes that the temple was constructed after the crypt was put in place.
One of the most important aspects of the crypt was the cover stone. It weighted 5 tons and it have an inscription on top that, according to the first archeologist who studied, show the representation of the decent of King Pacal to the underworld and the Mayan believe of the three worlds: the heavens or world above, the world of the living and the world of the dead. Other archeologist interpreted the hieroglyphics as describing the presence of the monster from the deeps of the earth, the Mayan sacred tree and the hairs of the god of rain, but it was the third interpretation and the study of the remains that caused one of the greatest controversies on the world of archeology.
What it appeared to be to others… The controversy of the findings came years after the discovery when another group that studied the stone interpreted the hieroglyphics as what it appears to be some kind of propulsion machinery and a Mayan operating at the controls. From this theory and descriptions came the given name of "The Astronaut of Palenque". Also, and to add to the controversy, the results of the scientific research from the studies of the remains shows that the body is not from one of the Mayan descendants or is even close to the age described in the inscriptions. The body is more of like a full ground man of big stature and not similar at all to any of the Mayan body characteristics of any age. The remains appeared to be of a 40 to 50 year old man and not of an 80-year- old Mayan, matching the legends of the one of the Mayan gods "Votan", a white man of long stature and beard who came from "the other side", as it is described by the legend.
Apart from the inscriptions at the head stone of the crypt, there were other stones and inscriptions found in the Mayan city that showed similarities to, what it looks to some at first instance, as some type of human in front of controls while inside a capsule or enclosure.
In reality, there are more mysteries than answers surrounding the Mayan empire. They are the only civilization of the new world that vanished with very little evidence of what really happened to them or what was the cause of their disappearance. Some of today's archeologists are having conflicting theories explaining the disappearance of the Mayan people or understanding the Mayan number system or hieroglyphics without returning with different interpretations.
The Theories There are many people today who believe that the drawings on the stone are in fact the representation of some kind of ship with the operator inside and that the body found is non other than the pilot itself. Others believe that the remains belong to a European that, somehow, reached the new world before the Spanish colonist discovered America. They also believe that the drawings are misinterpreted when called "The Astronaut". Others, looking for explanations, go as far as including in their theories the ancient legend of "Erik the Red", who in the other side of the sea from the American continent, went in search of the earthly paradise toward "Wotan" or "Odin" which was in the same direction toward the Americas. Other group jumps to the conclusion to believe that the Mayan people were victims of a planetary ascension or abduction, therefore explaining how they acquired the knowledge of the advance architecture, astronomy and numeric system that the empire possessed.
The only current facts is that there are many books with theories regarding the Mayan empire and each lacks concrete evidence explaining the disappearance of these people or who is the tall man found in the tomb of King Pacal. As of now, the archeologist's discoveries on the Mayan Temples keep raising more questions than answers and keep adding wood to the fire of controversy.
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