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Excavations at an archaeological site in Panama have uncovered the tomb of a religious leader buried 1,200 years ago, as well as gold objects and numerous other human remains.
Researchers found the ancient tomb in the El Caño Archaeological Park in Coclé province, known as a home of pre-Columbian discoveries, especially ornate burial chambers. The newly discovered tomb, built around 700 BC, is the ninth tomb unearthed in the park since excavations began at the site in 2008, according to a March 1 news release from Panama’s Ministry of Culture.
Dr. D., excavation leader and director of the El Caño Foundation, a group that researches Panama’s cultural heritage. Julia Mayo said the graves, including the last ones unearthed, were resting places for people with higher status in their society. Conducting research in an archaeological site. The research team believes that the person found in the middle of the grave had a higher status; this is indicated not only by its physical location, but also by the gold and ceramic artifacts surrounding the body.
The civilization of the region surrounding El Caño at the time considered the area sacred and worshiped their “ancestors,” referring to those who were remembered as having done important things. “It was believed that after the death of these people, there was constant communication between the ancestors and their descendants,” Mayo said. “Our study of graves highlights the practice of ritual death in burials associated with a (higher) status.”
He added that the newly unearthed elite leader was likely a man in his 30s or 40s, dubbed the “Lord of the Flutes” by archaeologists, because he was likely buried next to a set of animal bone flutes used in religious ceremonies.
As researchers continued to explore the tomb, they realized that the Lord of Flutes may have had quite a few companions on his journey to the afterlife; He probably had as many as a few dozen friends whose remains were found buried under the votive offerings that surrounded him.
‘Representation of social order’
Mayo said researchers found similar patterns among the grave and eight previously examined graves that suggest the other bodies belonged to people sacrificed to accompany the dead into the afterlife. The newly discovered remains appear to have all been buried at the same time and also bear signs of a ritual death.
El Caño’s burial chambers are divided into two sectors: a high-status sector, where burial chambers contain multiple bodies, and a low-status sector, where burials contain only one body per grave, Mayo said. The excavation has not yet been completed, so it’s unclear how many bodies are in the newly discovered tomb, but eight other tombs have turned up between eight and 32 bodies.
While other graves contained what researchers believe were military leaders, the Lord of the Flutes was probably more of a religious leader, as the body “was buried with flutes and bells, not as in the case of other lords found in the same place”. filled with axes, spears, and objects made from the teeth of large predators. This highlights the importance of religion in this society,” Mayo said in an email.
Excavation of the ninth grave is expected to be completed by this time next year.
Ancient funerary practices
In the statement, it was stated that archaeologists found the body of the so-called religious leader face down and buried on top of a woman’s body. Mayo said the man’s relationship with the woman was unknown.
“Face-down burial was common in this region during this period, but positioning the male over the female individual was not,” said Nicole Smith-Guzmán, curator of archeology at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama City. , via email.
However, he added that other researchers have reported the discovery of human remains dating back more than 1,000 years buried in a similar location in a nearby area called Sitio Sierra, in the same state as El Caño. At the time, researchers suggested that this couple represented a husband and wife, but the theory has not yet been confirmed.
“Still, it is likely that there was some kind of social relationship between two individuals throughout their lives that was important to maintain in death,” said Smith-Guzmán, who was not part of either discovery.
Gold decorations strengthened powerful alliances
Among the artifacts found scattered at the top of the burial chamber and around the Lord of the Flutes were five pectorals, a type of breastplate jewelry for the deceased, two belts made of gold beads, several gold bracelets and necklaces, as well as two gold earrings. According to the statement, several pieces of jewelry in the shape of human figures and made from animal teeth were found, as well as earrings made from sperm whale teeth.
Ana María Navas Méndez, an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at Illinois State University, said in an email that these “exotic” materials are often interpreted as leaders’ life strategies to achieve greater prestige in their territory. He added that Latin America’s ancient chiefs often established political and economic relationships with leaders of nearby communities, allowing valuable and artisanal goods to be exchanged with each other.
Many of the artifacts found in the tomb were “similar in style to those produced in (Colombia’s) Quimbaya region,” Mayo said, adding that this showed a great deal of interaction and exchange of materials “between the peoples living in this region.” Central region of Panama and northern South America.”
city of the dead
Experts believe El Caño served as a regional ceremonial center or necropolis (city of the dead) for elite members of society, Smith-Gúzman said.
Mayo said there have been two attempts, most recently in 2021, to find out who once owned various graves in the El Caño area. However, he added that no attempt was made to extract any DNA from human bones, most likely because the hot and humid climate of the region was not ideal for preservation.
“(This discovery) provides new evidence that can be compared with previous findings to continue studying chiefdoms in Panama,” Navas Méndez said. “With this new evidence, archaeologists can ask new questions about interactions between chiefdoms, the political economy of pre-Columbian societies, religious aspects, gender, etc.”
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