[Aztlan] SHAFT TOMBS UNCOVERED IN NAYARIT

[michael ruggeri]

El Universal
Jueves 15 de marzo de 2007

Mexican archaeologists found more than 100 bodies in 29 different pre- 
Hispanic tombs dating back about 2,000 years in Nayarit.
Raúl Barrera, who leads the archaeological project for the National  
Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, said most of the  
remains belonged to women between the ages of 35 and 40.
Archaeologists have not yet been able to determine which civilization  
the remains are from, although they know the find dates back to the  
period 200 B.C. to A.D. 600.
The tombs - located in vertical chambers - were in a type of burial  
ground found in Nayarit, Colima, Michoacán, Zacatecas and parts of  
Jalisco, but they have not been found in Mesoamerica.
The tombs have, however, been found in Colombia, Ecuador and  
Venezuela, Barrera said, noting that there may have been cultural and  
trade links between the regions.
Artifacts from these countries have been discovered on the coast of  
Nayarit, he said.
This type of tomb may have signified some type of a "return to the  
womb of Mother Earth," the archaeologist said.
The content of the tombs varied depending on the social status of the  
individual, since "they held the belief that in making the crossing  
to the next life the dead person needed certain items for the  
journey," Barrera said.
Archaeologists found figurines of warriors, ball players, pregnant  
women and animals in the tombs, as well as vessels and various types  
of jewelry.
Barrera said the sites contained only burial grounds and no  
dwellings, which may have been located on mountains or other  
locations at higher altitudes.
Of the 29 tombs, 28 were found at the La Playa site and the other was  
at Las Lagunillas. Only 12 were still intact, the others having been  
looted at some point.
The actual digging and recovery work lasted four years.






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