This skull of a Mayan ruler, (currently on display at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City), hints at the reverence the ancient Maya placed paid to the concept of life and death. The dead royalty were laid in burial chambers under massive temples that immortalized them. Often their bodies were adorned with jade ornaments, and pottery painted with scenes of the afterlife was placed beside them. Sometimes, attendents were sacrificed to the gods and buried in the chambers with the royalty, along with other prized possesions such as crocodiles. The reverence paid to death and the significance of the afterlife cannot be overstated in the Mayan civilization. They diligently recorded the passage of the rulers, and believed that the spirit of the dead empowered the living.