Diminutive Gatekeeper

Digs & Discoveries July/August 2014

SHARE:

Inside a 1,500-year-old shaft tomb, archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History discovered a ceramic figurine of a shaman holding what may have been a weapon, according to archaeologist Marcos Zavaleta. The shaman was placed at the opening of the tomb as if he were guarding the undisturbed burial, which contained the body of one or possibly two high-status people and six pots that might have held food for the afterlife. The burial complex is located in the state of Colima on Mexico’s west coast. According to Zavaleta, this rare intact burial could reveal much about religion and funeral practices in ancient Colima.

  • Features July/August 2014

    The Tomb of the Silver Hands

    Long-buried evidence of an Etruscan noble family

    Read Article
    (Marco Merola)
  • Letter From Scotland July/August 2014

    Living on the Edge

    Were the residents of a Scottish hillside immoral squatters or hard-working farmers?

    Read Article
    (Jeff Oliver, University of Aberdeen)
  • Artifacts July/August 2014

    Neolithic Wand

    Read Article
    (Courtesy L.C. Tiera)
  • Digs & Discoveries July/August 2014

    The Video Game Graveyard

    Read Article
    (Photo: Taylor Hatmaker, Courtesy Andrew Reinhard)