Overview
- The tomb, dated to around AD 600 in Oaxaca’s Central Valleys, was located after authorities investigated an anonymous looting tip.
- A large carved owl at the entrance reveals the painted face of a Zapotec lord, a symbol officials say signified death and power.
- Inside, multicolored procession murals, calendrical-name friezes, and carved male and female figures frame the doorway and burial chamber.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum and the culture secretary called it Mexico’s most significant archaeological find of the past decade.
- INAH teams are stabilizing fragile paintings and architecture while specialists analyze ceramics, iconography and human bones, and separate surveys near Mitla exploring underground cavities remain unconfirmed in age or connection to the tomb.