Day 2: King Ixtua Tomb Excavation, 4:42 PM
Evan leaned against a large stone at the base of the pyramid and sprayed more insect repellent on his left arm. The smell was horrible, but unlike the sunscreen, at least it worked. Evan wasnt sure which was more burned, his nose or his ears. He couldnt wait to get inside the pyramid and the shade it offered. The pyramid and the base camp were completely covered by the jungle and not visible from above, but the sunlight still managed to find its way through the leaves and branches and heat the air.
A slight problem here, said Uncle Phillip as he walked away from the large stone entry door to the Mayan tomb. He continued walking across the camp, with his two assistants, Max and Grace, running to keep up.
Evan turned and ran to catch up with his uncle. Whats wrong? he asked, almost running into two Guatemalan guides carrying a box of excavation equipment.
Follow me, Evan, and Ill show you, Uncle Phillip replied as they continued walking toward the communications tent.
Dr. Phillip Hicks was the lead excavator for a newly discovered Mayan tomb, deep in the Guatemalan jungle. Evans uncle was a professor of archaeology and taught at Florida State University, but he jumped at any chance he could find to leave the classroom and do some hands-on research. Two weeks ago Evans parents had received a call from Uncle Phillip, asking if Evan would like to tag along; his parents had agreed to let him travel with his uncle for a few weeks to finish off his summer vacation. It would also be a nice break from Evans younger twin brothers, Les and Wes.
As they entered the communications tent, Uncle Phillip threw his FSU cap on a nearby chair. Sitting next to the chair was a large, opened chest with numerous books and specialized equipment. Uncle Phillip was an expert in Mayan history, and earlier in the day he had shown Evan a picture of a Mayan glyph from one of the books. Uncle Phillip told Evan that the strangely drawn symbol represented King Ixtua. That same symbol was carved in stone above the tombs entry door, confirming that the Mayan pyramid was the tomb of the ancient Mayan king.
Uncle Phillip began flipping maps on a large table, looking for something. Wheres the enlargement of the Tupaxu manuscript? That drawing makes sense now, he said.
One of the assistants, Max, was looking on a side table. Evan stood quietly, not wanting to interfere. The other assistant, Grace, began to dig through the chest of books.
Have you ever heard the story of King Ixtua, Evan? asked Uncle Phillip. He continued to shuffle maps and papers on the table.
Evan shook his head. No, sir. My history grades arent so hot. Sorry.
Thats okay, replied Uncle Phillip. I didnt really become interested in history until college. But I think youll like this story.
Evans last history grade had not been impressive; science and math were more to his liking. But when his uncle had told him that this pyramid was unopened and had been hidden for more than 700 years, Evan couldnt resist. He had packed his clothes, smartphone, laptop, and the new robotics kit his parents had given him for his birthday last month, and met his uncle at the airport. If the pyramid turned out to be one big boring rock, hed have his music and could at least spend some time designing some robots to show his friends when he got home.
This King Ixtua liked monkeys, you see, said Uncle Phillip as he continued to search through a smaller pile of maps and papers. He had numerous spider monkeys that he trained to do tricks. The story tells us that King Ixtua had a pyramid built as his final resting place. To keep out tomb robbers and other unwelcome guests, he had the builders design the pyramid so only someone friendly to his monkeys could gain access to the tomb. A nice legend, huh?
Weird, Evan said, and then laughed. His uncle smiled at him and laughed, too.
Here it is! yelled Max, as he pulled a large sheet off the small table and walked over to Uncle Phillip. Evan watched as his uncle carefully placed the sheet in front of his team.
Two years ago, Evan, one of my old professors on a dig found a Mayan manuscript in a sealed jar and gave it to me. I translated the writing and found it was written by Tupaxu, the kings pyramid builder. It gave a general description of the location of the pyramid, among other things, said Uncle Phillip. Look at this, said Uncle Phillip, pointing his finger at a curious drawing on the sheet. (See Figure .)
Figure 1-1.
Tunnel drawing
Evan looked at the small drawing. It was surrounded by the strange Mayan writing he had seen on the various ruins in the camp.
Evan shook his head. What is it? he asked.
Grace pointed at the Mayan writing. Its a drawing of a small tunnel. Your uncle was right about the monkeys, it seems, she said. That drawing shows us how to unlock the stone entry doorway to the tomb.
Evan still didnt understand, and he frowned. What are these symbols? he asked, pointing at the small shapes.
Measurements, answered his uncle. These measurements translate to a tunnel entrance roughly 18 inches high by 18 inches wide. Too small for a person, but just the right size for a small spider monkey.
But if youve found the door, why cant you just drill through it or knock it down? asked Evan.
Uncle Phillip shook his head. First, we dont destroy or damage any ruins. And second, the door has a trap that is disabled by a pressure switch. If the switch isnt pressed, the trap, whatever it is, will go off if we open or tamper with the door. Tupaxu was a very smart designer.
So you just need to find this pressure switch and press it, right? asked Evan.
The first part is easy, Evan, said Uncle Phillip. We found the pressure switch, but its in a very bad location. Come on, Ill show you.
