Ancient tomb with strange owl sculpture Mexico’s ‘most significant’ find in decade

Find points to Mexico’s central role in cultural history of ancient Mesoamerica, researchers say

An ancient tomb dating to 600AD unearthed in southern Mexico has been hailed as the “most significant archaeological discovery in a decade” by the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

The well-preserved 1,400-year-old tomb from the Zapotec culture featured intricate details, including a sculpture of a wide-eyed owl with the plastered and painted figure of a man in its beak, multicoloured murals, and carvings of calendars.

The Zapotec were one of the earliest civilisations of ancient Mesoamerica, emerging in what is now the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca around 500BC and thriving till the arrival of the Spanish.

It remains a vibrant tradition even today, with roughly 400,000 to over a million people across southern Mexico identifying as Zapotec.

Owl statue found with man's face carved inside (INAH)

In the pre-Hispanic culture, the owl represented night and death, suggesting that the man in the sculpture was an ancestor honoured by the tomb, researchers say.

"It is the most significant archaeological discovery of the last decade in Mexico due to the level of conservation and information it provides,” President Pardo said, stressing that it is a strong example of the greatness of Mexico.

Located in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, the tomb has preserved the architectural richness of the Zapotec culture and reveals insights about the ancient society’s social organisation and funeral rituals, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.

"It is an exceptional discovery due to its level of conservation and what it shows about Zapotec culture: its social organisation, its funeral rituals and its worldview, preserved in architecture and mural painting,” said Claudia Curiel de Icaza, the secretary of culture.

These findings represent “Mexico's millennial greatness” and central role in the cultural history of ancient Mesoamerica, Ms Icaza said.

Researchers assess owl statue at Zapotec tomb site (INAH)

The tomb was found to consist of an antechamber and a burial chamber, decorated with vivid artistic, sculptural and pictorial details.

At the tomb site, archaeologists uncovered stone tombstones engraved with calendar names and the figures of a man and a woman adorned with headdresses and artefacts in both hands.

Archaeologists suspect the figures likely represented guardians of the tomb and protectors of the deceased.

Zapotec tomb in southern Mexico (INAH)

There were also “extraordinary” mural paintings in ochre, white, green, red and blue colours found in the burial chamber of a procession of characters carrying bags of copal and walking in the direction of the entrance, INAH said.

Teams are currently carrying out conservation and research work at the site, including the stabilisation of the delicate mural painting surrounded by roots and insects.