Overview: The Tortuguero Box with Arthur Dunkelman

The Tortuguero box: a fascinating object with a more fascinating story to tell.

The fact that it exists is amazing; a small wooden box less than five inches in length that tells the whole story of a man and his life.

The man was a scribe, but not just a simple scribe, probably a prince or the son of a prince or a king, living in a place called Tortuguero, which today is only an archeological ruin.

At one time, in the seventh century AD when it was carved, it was the center of an important kingdom; a group of Maya polities that ruled a vast area.

And here on this box are carved events and times and dates, the story of his life and events that happened around him.