An elite tomb laden with gold funerary objects has been discovered in the El Caño Archaeological Park in Coclé province, Panama.
According to experts, the discovery is one of the region’s most important archaeological finds in decades, dating back over one thousand years.
The clustering of richly furnished graves reinforces the interpretation of the site as a dynastic burial ground and ceremonial hub that functioned for centuries.
Researchers believe the community that constructed and used El Caño maintained extensive cultural and possibly trade networks across the isthmus.
Panama’s Ministry of Culture described the discovery as being of “great importance” to national archaeology and to the broader reconstruction of pre-Hispanic history in Central America.
The tomb dates to between AD 800 and 1000 and contains the skeletal remains of a high-status individual buried with gold bracelets, finely carved pectoral plates, gold ear ornaments, and beautifully decorated ceramic vessels.
Archaeologist Julia Mayo said, “The breastplates feature depictions of bats and crocodiles” – demonstrating artistic conventions of authority, spirituality and the afterlife.
Mayo noted that nine other tombs “similar” to the recent discovery have previously been excavated at the El Caño site. “They have been burying their dead there for around 200 years”.
Scholars emphasise that the elaborate burial assemblage suggests death was conceived not as a termination of identity but as a transformation in which status and social role endured. The refined metalwork demonstrates advanced metallurgical knowledge and aesthetic sophistication long before European contact.
The Panamanian Ministry of Culture stated that this discovery is “vital” for understanding prehistoric societies in the Central American Isthmus.
Sources : Panama Ministry of Culture
