Archaeologists in Panama have uncovered a more than thousand-year-old tomb containing human remains, gold ornaments and decorated pottery, indicating the burial of a high-status individual
Archaeologists have uncovered a tomb dating back more than a millennium at the El Caño Archaeological Park site in the Nata district, around 200 kilometres southwest of Panama City. The discovery included human remains surrounded by gold objects and ceramic pieces, according to lead researcher Julia Mayo.
The skeletal remains were found with bracelets, earrings and pectoral jewellery featuring bat and crocodile motifs. Mayo said these elements indicated the individual held the highest social rank within the group, adding that the tomb dates from between 800 and 1000 AD.
Part of a long-studied pre-Hispanic landscape
The region has been under excavation for two decades, with researchers previously identifying remains from pre-Hispanic cultures. The El Caño site is associated with societies that lived in Panama’s central provinces from the eighth to the eleventh century.
“This is where they buried their dead for 200 years,” Mayo said, noting that nine tombs similar to the latest find have already been discovered.
The Panama Ministry of Culture described the discovery as “of great importance for Panamanian archaeology and the study of pre-Hispanic societies of the Central American isthmus”, referring to the land bridge linking North and South America.
Experts say the excavations reinforce the understanding that death for these societies was viewed as a transition to another phase, where social hierarchy continued to play a significant role.
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