A team from Mexico’s (INAH) has discovered a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb that scientists believed was lost.
The artistic decorations are remarkably well-preserved, featuring a sculptural depiction of an owl with wide-open eyes and a human head in its beak, along with colorful frescoes and calendar symbols.
was uncovered following an anonymous tip about looting in the area. According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the investigation led to “the most significant archaeological discovery in Mexico in decades.”
The find has been dated to around 600 AD, a time when the Zapotecs, also known as the “cloud people,” inhabited the region. The Zapotec civilization emerged around 700 BC and declined following the Spanish conquest in 1521. However, hundreds of thousands of people who speak the Zapotec language still live in Mexico, as reported by Live Science.
What Surprised Researchers About the Tomb?
At the entrance to the tomb, discovered a large carved owl. In its open beak, one can see the painted face of a Zapotec ruler. In this ancient culture, the owl symbolized death and power.
Researchers suggested that this owl held a sculptural portrait of the lord to whom the tomb was dedicated, according to a statement from INAH.
Inside the structure, the threshold between the two chambers is adorned with a masterfully carved doorway. On a horizontal stone beam above, “calendar names” are engraved: the Zapotecs assigned certain symbols to deities and important individuals, linked to their birth dates.
On either side of the doorway are engraved figures of a man and a woman, who may have been the individuals buried in the tomb or palace guards.
The walls of the burial chamber feature vibrant frescoes. They depict a funeral procession in white, green, red, and blue paints, with participants carrying bags of tree resin, which was burned as incense during ceremonies in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.
“This richly adorned tomb is an exceptional find due to its level of preservation and the insights it provides into Zapotec culture: social organization, burial rituals, and worldview, preserved in architecture and wall paintings,” stated Mexico’s Minister of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza.
