UH archeologists Arlen and Diane Chase uncovered the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruler of the Maya city of Caracol, earlier this year.
The finding of a 1,700-year-old tomb in the ancient Maya city of Caracol by a husband-and-wife team of archaeologists from the University of Houston was named as one of the top 10 discoveries of 2025 by Archeology Magazine.
In July, the university announced that Arlen and Diane Chase had uncovered the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruler of the Maya city of Caracol. The tomb was discovered in modern-day Belize, a country on the northeastern coast of Central America that borders Mexico. According to the university, the findings revealed connections to Teotihuacan, the site of Mesoamerican pyramids in Mexico. Te K’ab Chaak was the first ruler of a more than 460-year Maya dynasty.
The significance of the finding was recognized in December by Archeology Magazine — a 75-year-old publication by the Archaeological Institute of America — as one of the most important discoveries of 2025.
Diane Chase, who is also the UH vice president of academic affairs and provost, said in a statement that unearthing the tomb was monumental…