Lost tomb of mysterious 'cloud people' unearthed after 1,400 years

"Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca that had been lost to history. The stone structure, built by the Zapotec culture, known as Be'ena'a, or 'The Cloud People', is adorned with sculptures, murals and carved symbols that suggest ritual significance. The Zapotec believed their ancestors descended from the clouds and that, in death, their souls returned to the heavens as spirits."

"At the entrance sits a massive carved owl, its open beak revealing the face of a Zapotec lord, a symbol the National Institute of Anthropology and History said represented death and power. The doorway is framed by a stone threshold and lintel, above which a frieze of engraved slabs displays ancient calendrical names. Flanking the entrance are carved figures of a man and woman wearing headdresses and holding ritual objects, likely guardians of the tomb."

"Inside the burial chamber, preserved sections of a vibrant mural remain intact, showing a procession of figures carrying bundles of copal as they move toward the tomb's entrance. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, said: 'It is the most important archaeological discovery of the last decade in Mexico due to its level of preservation and the information it provides.' Mexico's Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, said the 'exceptional discovery' of the tomb was due to its preservation."

A 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb called Be'ena'a was uncovered in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and found in exceptional preservation. The stone structure contains sculptures, murals and carved symbols, including a massive carved owl at the entrance whose open beak reveals the face of a Zapotec lord. The doorway features a stone threshold and lintel with a frieze of engraved calendrical names, and carved male and female figures wearing headdresses flank the entrance. Inside, vibrant mural sections show a procession carrying bundles of copal. The find illuminates Zapotec funerary rituals, social organization, and long cultural continuity despite a regional decline around 900 AD and a living Zapotec population today.

Read at Mail Online