Story perspectives

1,400-Year-Old Zapotec Tomb Discovered in Oaxaca

1/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb in San Pablo Huitzo, Oaxaca, Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called the discovery the most significant archaeological discovery of the last decade.
The burial chamber includes intricate carvings, such as an owl with a human head inside its beak.
Murals depict a copal-bearing procession, and a multidisciplinary team from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is stabilizing the fragile artworks amid environmental threats.

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Story summary

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb in San Pablo Huitzo, Oaxaca, Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called the discovery the most significant archaeological discovery of the last decade.
The burial chamber includes intricate carvings, such as an owl with a human head inside its beak.
Murals depict a copal-bearing procession, and a multidisciplinary team from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is stabilizing the fragile artworks amid environmental threats.