The first stone-built sepulcher to be found at the pre-hispanic ceremonial site Bocana del Rio Copalita in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, has been discovered in the sixth season of the excavations at the site according to an article, in Spanish, on the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH-Conaculta) website. An English version of the article is also available, on the Art Daily site.
The tomb was made of masonry blocks, and measured 1.8 meters tall and 1 meter wide. It contained the skeleton of an individual, possibly male, whose age at the time of death is estimated to be between 20 and 23 years of age.
Dating to around 700AD the sepulcher is surrounded by 22 other burials, containing the remains of members of the elite, one of which is shown on the INAH site. Of these, an unusual female burial is of particular interest. Buried face down, she was accompanied by a number of high-value grave goods including a very beautiful bowl (pictured on the Art Daily page) showing a number of themes, of which a repeated motif of an own between two snakes is particularly notable.
