File number: mgc0249

© South American Pictures/ Marion Morrison

Palenque Mexico. The tomb of King Pacal (AD615-683) was discovered in the Temple of the Inscriptions in 1952. This copy of the lid of the sarcophagus shows Pacal at the time of death falling into the underworld;above him is the World Tree and the celestial bird representing the heavens.  Museo Nacional de Antropología Mexico City