The tombs are located one on top of the other and, unlike previous discoveries, are not underground. One of the burial chambers is decorated with a mural of a ball game, a theme not found before in Zapotec funerary practices.
The funerary complex, which has three burial chambers, was found about three months ago at the Atzompa archaeological zone, the INAH said. Archaeologists managed to get into the third pre-Columbian burial chamber, which contained human remains that are likely those of a male, INAH archaeology coordinator Nelly Robles Garcia said.
The remains will be analyzed to determine the age, nutrition and health of the individual, as well as whether there are intentional deformities of a cultural nature. Archaeologists found a fractured skull belonging to another individual next to the remains, leading them to conclude that it may have been an offering.
A small, black tubular pitcher and pieces of a vessel were also found in the burial chamber. A red urn with a human face on it and other items were found in the grave, archaeologist Eduardo Garcia said.