MEXICAN ARCHEOLOGY TEAM MEMBER WORKS ON UNCOVERING NEW PYRAMID AT PALENQUE, 1998-08-20 (photo)

TO GO WITH BC-MEXICO-ARCHEOLOGY - A member of a team of Mexican archeologists works on cleaning part of a relief believed to be that of a captured leader on the top of an unexplored pyramid in the Maya centre of Palenque in Chiapas August 14. Palenque, considered the jewel in the crown of the Maya world, stretches over an area of 20 square kilometres, of which only 20% has been uncovered leaving over 100 buildings documented but unexplored. Archeologists believe they have uncovered the first image of Palenque's only undocumented leader from the period of AD 732 to 764 from which they had no references. They believe the figure to be the missing leader of this undocumented period due to regal glyphs and glyphs dating the figure to the period in question. AW/AA