Photo: Priceless Maya Stone Vessel Looted in Guatemala

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


Carved from volcanic stone, this 1,500-year-old Maya box was looted from a cave in Guatemala sometime after late March 2005, archaeologists said this week. Symbolic figures and characters—including the god of the underworld, a scribe, and another artisan—adorn four sides of the vessel.

Photograph by Stephen L. Alvarez

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.