Diminutive Gatekeeper

Digs & Discoveries July/August 2014

(Courtesy INAH, Photo: de Malíton Tapia)
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.

MORE TO DISCOVER

Letter from Nigeria

July/August 2024

A West African Kingdom's Roots

Excavations in Benin City reveal a renowned realm’s deep history

Artifacts July/August 2024

Etruscan Oil Lamp

Read Article
Etruscan Hanging Oil Lamp
(Courtesy Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona; © DeA Picture Library/Art Resource, NY)

Around the World July/August 2024

TONGA

Read Article
(Phillip Parton/ANU)

Digs & Discoveries July/August 2024

Bronze Age Beads Go Abroad

Read Article
(Courtesy Cambridge Archaeological Unit)

Features July/August 2024

Java's Megalithic Mountain

Across the Indonesian archipelago, people raised immense stones to honor their ancestors

Read Article
Indonesia Java Gunung Padang Megalithic Site
(Courtesy Lutfi Yondri)