2,700-yr-old pyramid tomb with royal burials, jewels unearthed in Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

2,700-yr-old pyramid tomb with royal burials, jewels unearthed in Mexico
2010-11-19 14:30:00


A 2,700-year-old pyramid tomb containing royal burials and jewels was uncovered in Mexico by archaeologists from Brigham Young University.

The tomb in Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico, could resolve the debate of when and how the mysterious Zoque civilization arose, according to excavation leader Bruce Bachand.

The three-story-tall pyramid was a "visually permanent and physically imposing reminder" of the people's past rulers and emerging cultural identity, said Bachand.

The two rulers found with the pyramid-top tomb had been coated head-to-toe in sacred red pigment. At the centre of the tomb, the team found a male in a pearl-beaded loincloth. To his side lay a companion, likely a female.

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Pyramid Tomb Found: Sign of a Civilization's Birth?
Oldest known Central American pyramid tomb holds royal burials, jewels.



The oldest known Mesoamerican pyramid tomb, found in Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico.
Photograph courtesy Bruce R. Bachand

John Roach
for National Geographic News
Published May 18, 2010

After sheltering jeweled royals for centuries, the oldest known tomb in Mesoamerica—ancient Central America and Mexico, roughly speaking—has been uncovered, archaeologists announced Tuesday.

Apparently caught between two cultures, the 2,700-year-old pyramid in Chiapa de Corzo (map), Mexico, may help settle a debate as to when and how the mysterious Zoque civilization arose, according to excavation leader Bruce Bachand.

At the time of the pyramid tomb's dedication, hundreds of artisans, vendors, and farmers would have known Chiapa de Corzo as a muggy town, redolent with wood smoke and incense.

Above them towered the three-story-tall pyramid, a "visually permanent and physically imposing reminder" of their past rulers and emerging cultural identity, said Bachand, an archaeologist at Brigham Young University, who co-led the project with Emiliano Gallaga of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History and Lynneth Lowe of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100518-oldest-pyramid-tomb-zoque-mexico-science/