US EditionTomb more than 1000 years old found in Panama
The tomb reveals 200 years of burial use and rich gold funerary offerings signaling social hierarchy in pre-Hispanic Panama, archaeologists said.
- On February 20, 2026, archaeologists uncovered a tomb more than 1,000 years old at the El Caño Archaeological Park in the Nata district, about 200 kilometres southwest of Panama City.
- After two decades of fieldwork, the El Caño site revealed Tomb 3, first detected in 2009 by ceramic and metal fragments in a cemetery used for 200 years.
- Excavators recovered a multiple burial with the principal occupant in extended position, wearing two bracelets, two pectorals and two ear ornaments, surrounded by gold objects and ceramic vessels with bat and crocodile motifs.
- Culture Minister María Eugenia Herrera said the discovery is `of great importance for Panamanian archaeology` and will support the El Caño Museum as a research and education centre.
- Dated to between 800 and 1000 AD, Mayo said the tomb’s rich metal goods link El Caño to regional centres such as Sitio Conte, with nine similar tombs already excavated.
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63 Articles
The discovery reveals secrets of the pre-Hispanic elite that inhabited central Panama
Elite tomb laden with gold funerary objects found at El Caño
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 be…
A 1,000-year-old tomb with abundant pieces of gold was discovered at the El Caño Archaeological Park Museum in Panama. The discovery offers new data on the relations and dynamics of the Coclé indigenous people before the arrival of the Spanish explorers in 1501.The Ministry of Culture of Panama reported on Friday 20 that this is an event of great relevance for the archaeology of the country and for the study of the pre-Hispanic societies of the …
Scientists who have been searching the El Caño site for 20 years believe that it is the burial of high dignitaries. The body of one of them was decorated with precious jewels.
The pre-Hispanic cultures of Central America are revealed through the contents of this tomb before the year millet, where gold jewellery and ceramics were found An old tomb of
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