BOLIVIA: Archaeologists discover an ancient skeleton possibly 1,300 years old, in Tiwanaku ruins

Archeologists have uncovered the 1,300-year-old skeleton of a ruler or priest of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization together with precious jewels inside a much-looted pyramid in western Bolivia. The bones are "in very good condition" and belong to either "a ruler or a priest," Roger Angel Cossio, the Bolivian archeologist who made the discovery, told Reuters on Wednesday. He said the tomb -- containing a diadem and fist-sized carved pendant of solid gold -- survived centuries of looting by Spanish invaders and unscrupulous raiders who depleted Tiwanaku of many precious treasures. "This individual wore a decoration, a crown, it was circular, laminated in gold and a breastplate," Cossio said. "It seems he was an important individual. Not just anyone can be buried in the top of the first Akapana, right?" he added. The corpse was found in a niche carved inside the 15-yard-high (15-metre-high) Akapana pyramid, which was built around 1200 BC and is described by experts as one of the biggest pre-Columbian constructions in South America. At its peak, the city of Tiwanaku stretched over 1,480 acres (600 hectares) and had a population of over 100,000, according to chief archeologist Javier Escalante, who presented the findings on Wednesday at a news conference near the pyramid. Bolivia's Vice-Minister of Culture said the discovery serve to underscore why the excavation of the ruins needs continued UN funding. "During the last visit of the Secretary-General of UNESCO, on the the most important issues was that UNESCO continue financing and supporting the excavation work in Tiwanaku. There are seven temples of which we have uncovered two," said Pablo Groux. The Tiwanaku civilization spread throughout southwestern Bolivia and parts of neighboring Peru, Argentina and Chile from around 1500 BC to AD 1200. Although experts still have to do carbon dating to determine the age of the remains, archeologists estimate they were buried some 1,300 years ago, during the decline of the Tiwanaku empire.

ITN Source | May 9, 2007

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