Cone-Shaped Tombs With More Than 3,000-Year-Old Human Remains Found in Park

Archaeologists have discovered a set of conical tombs dating back to more than 3,000 years ago in Mexico.

The pre-Hispanic tombs—half of which still contain human remains—were found in Chapultepec Forest, a large, urban park located in the country's capital, Mexico City, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced.

Covering more than 1,482 acres, Chapultepec Forest is the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America, according to the World Monuments Fund. The area served as a site of human activity for centuries in pre-Hispanic times, with indications of occupation from the the Early Preclassic period (2500-1200 B.C.) of Mesoamerican history. For example, it was a used as a place of recreation for the Aztec rulers, whose capital, Tenochtitlan, was built where modern Mexico City now lies.

The latest discovery in Chapultepec Forest came about thanks to construction works for a cable car line that will run along the edge of parts of the park, following the route of a road known as Avenida Constituyentes.

The discovery suggests the existence of a village in the area from the Early-Middle Preclassic periods (2500-400 B.C.), María de Lourdes López Camacho, the coordinator of the excavations, said in a press release.

In June, an archaeological rescue team began exploring an area of the park in the vicinity of Avenida Constituyentes, which led to excavations. These works uncovered 10 conical tombs, which are characterized by their inverted cone shapes, dug into the ground. These graves are also known as "bottle" or "bell" tombs.

"It is a very particular funerary architecture," López Camacho said. "Examples of these tombs are found in other areas of ancient Mexico, such as the Gulf Coast and the west. They have also been located in the current states of Mexico and Morelos, and there are records in the south, north and east of the Basin of Mexico. We needed to locate them on the west side. Now, we have them."

It is not known why exactly the tombs were designed in such a way, but the shape could be a reference to human conception, when the fetus is lodged in the mother's womb, López Camacho told Newsweek. "Thus, the individual at the end of his life returns to Mother Earth."

"Very early societies in Mesoamerica presented a clear hierarchy and a funerary architecture that must have reflected a series of beliefs and rituals around the meaning of death."

Inside the tombs, archaeologists discovered the remains of five individuals—four females and one male, almost all of them young adults.

During their excavations, the researchers uncovered several artifacts, some arranged as offerings. They included four deer antlers fashioned into tools, effigy vessels (containers with stylized human or animal features), a number of female figurines and other figurines that the researchers call "ghosts."

All of the evidence uncovered at the site highlights the complexity of social practices and productive activities—such as agriculture, pottery making and construction—in the Preclassic period, according to the INAH. It was in this period that many of the characteristic features of Mesoamerican societies, which would persist in subsequent centuries, were consolidated.

Update 12/01/23, 8:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from María de Lourdes López Camacho.