Archaeologists working in Panama uncovered a 1,200-year-old gold-laden tomb in 2024 that is believed to belong to a pre-Hispanic member of royalty.
The tomb was found in the El Caño archaeological park in the Coclé province, Panama, and is believed to be the burial grounds of of an “important Coclé lord,” according to a press release from Panama’s Ministry of Culture. It’s believed the individual lived in the late 750s to the early 800s A.D., and was extremely wealthy and well-to-do given the absolute hoard of goodies he was buried with.
A majority of the items found with this fancy man are ceramics, but there was also a lot of jewelry and gold. “2 belts of spherical gold beads, 4 bracelets, 2 earrings in the shape of human figures (male and female), [and] an earring in the shape of a double crocodile” are among the discoveries, the press release stated. Another five earrings made from sperm whale teeth with gold covers were uncovered, along with a set of gold plates, bells, bracelets and bone flutes are just some of the additional historical and cultural artifacts from the site.
Video shared on Facebook shows the mess of materials archaeologists found at the site. The individual buried with these goods is clearly of high-status, and his body was placed face-down atop a woman’s body, as was tradition at the time, according to the press release. (RELATED: 1,000-Year-Old Drug Vessels Uncovered By Archaeologists)
The exploration of El Caño will continue through this year, so who knows what other amazing pieces might emerge from the mud? The site was abandoned around 1,000-years-ago, and little is known of the people who ruled this region at the time. Further analysis will hopefully shed light on this forgotten chapter in human history.