Ancient Zapotec Tomb Found in Southern Mexico EFE
go to original December 20, 2012

These four objects lined the walls of a roughly 1,200-year-old tomb discovered at the Zapotec site of Atzompa, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH said. (EFE/INAH/H. Montaño)

MEXICO CITY - Mexican archaeologists have discovered a roughly 1,200-year-old tomb at the Zapotec site of Atzompa, a find that shows the city's central complex not only had a civic-ceremonial area but also a residential section.

The discovery in the southern state of Oaxaca was made during work to preserve the remains of what the experts believe was a home inhabited between A.D. 750-900, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, said in a statement.

The tomb, which contained the skeletal remains of two adults, is the fourth to be discovered in that satellite city of Monte Alban. In early 2012, a funerary complex consisting of three tombs was found inside a building in the elite sector of Atzompa.

Archaeologist Laura Mendoza Escobar, who coordinated the work at the site, said the tomb - as per the ancient Zapotec Indian funerary pattern - was found beneath the floor of what had been the main room of the residence.

She said the residence is located in an area of Atzompa where habitational spaces had previously been detected, but without the presence of a tomb.

Mendoza said the discovery leads her team to believe the occupants of the dwelling were part of a medium social strata at the service of the ruling group, making this burial site the first of its kind found at the archaeological site.

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