A gold-filled ancient tomb has been uncovered in a jungle in the heart of Panama.
The jungle was once home to a haunting ritual of human sacrifice.
Archeologists unearthed the ancient burial site which was established to ensure dead members of the rich and powerful would not have to further in the afterlife on their own.
The tomb was found in the El Cano Archaeological Park in the Panaman district of Nata.
A miniature gold figure was found at the site
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It was used as the resting place of a young lord from around 750 to 800 AD.
Archaeological evidence from ancient cemeteries suggests Colce chiefs and nobility were sometimes buried alongside their companions.
Companions were often the wives or servants of the rich and powerful.
They were commonly sacrificed as part of the funeral service, experts have claimed.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Multiple bodies have been found buried together, with a common tradition entailing laying the elite individual’s body face down on top of a female body.
The burial site, which included 31 other people’s bodies, also housed piles of gold and artefacts.
Panama’s Ministry of Culture revealed the offerings contained mostly ceramic artefacts and pieces of gold were found as part of the funerary trousseau.
The archaeological project’s leader Julia Mayo shared some of the initial findings.
A gold artefact with an animal-type body was also detected
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Images from the tomb showed gold plates, miniature gold figurines and another gold artefact with an animal-type body.
Archaeologists hope further analysis will uncover cultural, spiritual, and political elements of the mysterious Cocle culture and their hierarchical ways of life.
Evacuation of the site is not fully complete and the number of bodies remains unknown.
The number is estimated to sit somewhere between eight and 32.