A new tomb has been discovered at the El Caño archaeological site, offering ceramics and gold. The tomb dates to between 800 and 1000 AD and, according to Panama’s Ministry of Culture, due to the abundance of grave goods, the find is “of great importance for the archeology of Panama and the study of pre-Hispanic societies of the Isthmus of Central America.”
The existence of Tomb 3 was first identified in 2009 when a survey discovered a large number of ceramic and metal fragments. However, it was not excavated until this year, and now reveals its complete structure and rich furnishings. It contains numerous funerary offerings, including fine ceramics and decorated gold ornaments, including large pectorals decorated with bats and crocodiles, which were typical motifs in the art and iconography of El Cano.
It is a multiple burial with the main figure accompanied by several others. The tomb is an area reserved for the elite of the Coclé culture, and the central burial is of a high-ranking leader or one of the families of the chiefs. Coclé leaders collected objects of great prestige, but the tombs did not contain gold as a value or currency. He holds the religious symbol as an eternal material because its beauty is not subject to corrosion or decay.
The archaeological site of El Cano, 124 miles southwest of Panama City, was a ceremonial complex of the Coquili people. The area has been dubbed “Panama’s Valley of the Kings” due to previous discoveries of spectacular burials, and the majority of the cemetery remains excavated.
The evidence gathered in Tomb 3 allows a revision of models regarding the emergence of complex chiefdoms in the Isthmus, suggesting the existence of centralized societies operating between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. These communities had long-distance exchange networks and the ability to hold large-scale ceremonies, cementing the site as one of the most important pre-Hispanic cemeteries in the region.
