Burial 85 dates to the Late Preclassic and was enclosed by a platform , with a primitive corbel vault . The tomb contained a single male skeleton , which lacked a skull and its thighbones . The dynastic founder of Tikal , Yax Ehb ' Xook , has been linked to this tomb , which lies deep in the heart of the North Acropolis . The deceased had probably died in battle with his body being mutilated by his enemies before being recovered and interred by his followers . The bones were wrapped carefully in textiles to form an upright bundle . The missing head was replaced by a small greenstone mask with shell @-@ inlaid teeth and eyes and bearing a three @-@ pointed royal headband . This head wears an emblem of rulership on its forehead and is a rare Preclassic lowland Maya portrait of a king . Among the contents of the tomb were a stingray spine , a spondylus shell and twenty @-@ six ceramic vessels .