We’ve all heard about the ancient alien theory, some of us enjoyed the famous series on TV while others tried constantly to debunk every single point of it. Like everything in life, there are cons and pros to it.

Even though some of the theories provided by the ancient alien theory may seem skeptical at first, some of the points provided by it cannot be simply overruled. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of things that mainstream archeology and history cannot explain.

Everyone that reads about the ancient alien theory or- ancient astronaut theory as some know it, searches for evidence, something that will answer how ancient man managed to erect some of the most incredible monuments in our history, or how they managed to transport huge blocks of stone, place stone blocks together in a fashion engineers and builders today cannot.

In this article, we look into the life and history behind King Pakal, the ancient city of Palenque and the sarcophagus lid; “bulletproof” evidence of ancient astronauts according to the Ancient Alien theory.

The sarcophagus of king K’inich Janaab’ Pakal or more commonly known as King Pakal is one of the most talked-about subjects when it comes to the ancient alien theory. The sarcophagus lid of this great Maya rulers has some pretty curious depictions.

Ancient alien theorists propose that it clearly depicts K’inich Janaab Pakal I in some sort of spaceship during takeoff, and they argue that his hands appear to be manipulating some sort of machinery, his foot is located on a pedal while he is breathing through some sort of breathing apparatus.

See inside the tomb from Discovery below:

The theory about Pakal’s spaceship was actually first proposed by Erich von Däniken in his book Chariots of the Gods.

Von Däniken reproduced a drawing of the lid but he labeled it incorrectly as being from Copan. The sarcophagus was in fact discovered by Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1948 at the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque.

The remains of this great Mayan ruler were still in the coffin wearing a jade mask and bead necklaces; he was also surrounded by sculptures and stucco reliefs depicting the ruler’s transition to divinity and figures from Maya mythology.

One of the most mysterious things about the remains found inside Pakal’s coffin is the fact that the remains do not seem to match him.

The real King?

The analysis of the wear on the skeleton’s teeth places the age of the owner at death as 40 years younger than Pakal would have been at the time of his death.

This is one of the subjects that has caused major debate among historians and archaeologists.

According to the inscriptions found on the tomb, researchers indicate that the remains of the coffin should, in fact, belong to king K’inich Janaab’ Pakal who died at the age of 80. there are several theories that try to explain this mystery.

One of these theories is that there are two people with the same name who are referred to in the inscriptions and also that an unusual method for recording time was used.

Experts in Mayan history strongly disagree with the proposed theories explaining that such possibilities would go against everything that is known about the Mayan calendar and records of their most important events and time.

According to experts, the iconography carved on the sarcophagus lid are classical depictions of Mayan art.

The sarcophagus lid is closely related to the interior of the temple and the gigantic wall panels of the temples of the Cross and the Foliated Cross which are centered on world trees.

What is very interesting is that around the edges of the lid researchers found a band with cosmological signs which include those for the sun, moon, and stars and at the center is what Maya experts relate to as a cruciform world tree.

Could these depictions be related to the sarcophagus lid and the alleged depiction of Pakal inside a spaceship?

Ancient alien theorists argue that it is more than enough evidence.

There are quite a number of mysteries that relate to King Pakal, his life, and death.

Some of these mysteries have been attacked by mainstream archaeologists who firmly debunk any relation from Pakal, spaceships and ancient alien theory, yet some of them like the age of the remains inside the coffin of King Pakal are some of the mysteries that have not been explained.

See what the mainstream scholars think about King Pakal’s sarcophagus lid from the Smithsonian Channel: