Archaeologists excavating at the ancient Maya city of El Palmar in Campeche have identified what is now believed to be the earliest Long Count calendar date ever documented in the Maya Lowlands, shedding new light on the origins and longevity of one of the region’s oldest royal dynasties.
The discovery centres on Stela 46, a monumental carved stone uncovered within an architectural complex south-west of El Palmar’s Main Group. Researchers determined that the monument records the Long Count date 8.7.1.0.0, corresponding to AD 180—more than a century earlier than the previously oldest known Long Count inscription in the Maya Lowlands.
The findings are based on nearly two decades of archaeological and epigraphic research and analysis by the El Palmar Archaeological Project (PAEP), led by archaeologists Kenichiro Tsukamoto of the University of California, Riverside and Javier López Camacho of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Using advanced photogrammetry and high-resolution 3D scanning, they were able to decipher eroded inscriptions that were previously difficult to study. The new date was found well before the famous inscription on Tikal’s Stela 29 in Guatemala which lists the year AD 292 and has long been considered the earliest Long Count date in the Maya region.
The researchers say that El Palmar’s dynasty is one of the longest-lived dynasties of the Maya Lowlands, and survived from the Terminal Preclassic period (300 BC-AD 250) to the Terminal Classic period (AD 800-950).
Beyond its chronological significance, Stela 46 also depicts a ruler adorned with an elaborate feathered headdress while holding what appears to be the head of a jaguar—an animal closely associated with the underworld and powerful symbolic meanings in Maya belief systems.
The monument measures approximately 2.96 metres in height and displays inscriptions on its sides detailing both the Long Count date and events linked to royal enthronement ceremonies.
Although the monument had been examined by scholars in the past, extensive weathering and the technological limitations of earlier studies prevented a complete reading of its inscriptions. The new analysis, published in the journal “Ancient Mesoamerica”, proposes that the ruler commemorated on the monument was a king tentatively identified as Ajaw K’al Ubaah, who is believed to have ascended the throne in AD 131.
Researchers believe the monument was erected 49 years after the ruler’s accession, likely as part of a ceremonial event marking his reign.
Additional archaeological evidence supports the monument’s early date. Excavations in El Palmar’s Arcos Group uncovered materials dating to the Terminal Preclassic period, consistent with the era in which Stela 46 was erected.
The team also examined Stela 20, a monument dating to around the sixth century AD, which contains information about the origins of El Palmar’s ruling dynasty and appears to corroborate details recorded on Stela 46.
Stela 45, now housed in the Museum of Maya Archaeology at Fort San Miguel, records the Long Count date 8.15.5.8.11, equivalent to AD 342, and preserves evidence relating to royal succession during the fourth century.
Taken together, the monuments suggest that El Palmar’s early rulers possessed the political authority and economic resources necessary to establish and maintain a powerful dynasty. Their influence is reflected not only in the commissioning of stelae and altars, but also in major architectural projects throughout the site.
However, like Stela 46, Stela 45 has suffered significant erosion, leaving many of its inscriptions damaged or incomplete. Some of the surviving glyphs may refer to a ruler named Tz’u Chak Ahk, although the evidence remains inconclusive.
The broader PAEP research team includes Adriana Velázquez Morlet, director of the INAH Campeche Centre; epigraphist Octavio Esparza Olguín of the National Autonomous University of Mexico; iconographer Daniel Salazar of the French archaeological organisation Archaïos; and independent archaeologist Luz Evelia Campaña.
Exploration of El Palmar remains ongoing. The archaeological site is not currently open to the public.
Header Image Credit : Kenichiro Tsukamoto, PAEP
Sources : INAH
