MEXICO CITY -- A portrait of a Mayan king who ruled between 770-801 that was found on a bone earring shows that he had a facial deformity, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, said.

Ukit Kan Lek Tok' is closely identified with Ek' Balam, an important Maya city of the Late Classic Period (600-900 A.D.) in the central-eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, where his tomb is located and the site in which the earring was found, the INAH said in a statement.

This image, which shows an uneven jaw and a cleft lip, was part of the funeral offering for the king, who was buried more than 1,200 years ago, researchers Leticia Vargas de la Peña and Victor Castillo Borges, co-directors of the Ek' Balam archaeological project, said.

Additionally, physical anthropologist Vera Tiesler analyzed the bone remains of the ruler and determined that the facial deformities were caused by severe tooth decay.

The individual had plaque and cavities in the 23 teeth found and suffered three severe infections, one of which caused him to lose several molars and premolars while he was still alive.

She also detected that there was a reduction in the height of his upper right jaw, all of which caused Ukit Kan Lek Tok' to suffer from a lack of facial symmetry.

The cleft lip could not be seen from the bone remains but that detail is known thanks to the image on the bone earring.

"We can say that the bone earring is the only portrait known thus far that shows the physical aspect of the leader at the end of his life, since other images show him as young and at his healthiest," INAH said.

"The mortal remains of the ruler were accompanied by an elaborate offering consisting of 21 vessels and more than 7,000 pieces of jade, shell, bone and pyrite, as well as some less common materials like a gold earring in the form of a frog and three pearls," the INAH statement said.

It is known from other representations of the king found at different parts of the archaeological site that he was considered a great warrior.