INAH confirms authenticity of discovery in Jaltepetongo

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) corroborated that the archaeological remains recently located in the municipality of San Pedro Jaltepetongo, Oaxaca, correspond to a pre-Hispanic funerary context of the Late Postclassic period (1300-1521), with distinctive features of the Mixtec cultural tradition.

The confirmation was announced yesterday through an information card distributed by the institute and the federal Ministry of Culture (SC). It details that specialists from the INAH Oaxaca Center carried out an inspection visit to the community last Monday.

The discovery had been spread on social networks, so the institution called to avoid the disclosure of images and locations of sites not open to the public.

The work was carried out by archaeologist and researcher Nelly Robles García, with the participation of archaeologist Miguel Ángel Galván Benítez.

After inspection, it was confirmed that the set is made up of 60 pieces associated with a funerary offering, located in an area linked to the towns of the Río Grande Route, in the Biosphere Reserve of the Tehuacán Cuicatlán valley.

Among the identified elements there are at least 26 black obsidian beads, two tubular beads of the same material, 12 metallic beads, probably gold, and a pendant that would represent Ehécatl, god of the wind, which could have made up a single necklace.

Likewise, tripod pots and polychrome bowls of the Mixtec style, jugs with pouring handles, hemispherical bowls and a polychrome plate were documented.

Specialists indicated that the state of conservation is good, since the offering remained in contact with limestone and in a humid environment that generated a thin protective calcareous layer.

Each piece was labeled and registered in accordance with the protocols for its registration in the Single Public Registry System of Monuments and Archaeological and Historical Zones.

After their location, the assets were kept in the municipal presidency of San Pedro Jaltepetongo by the community property commissionerate.

At the site, INAH personnel informed the community about the Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Zones, as well as about social co-responsibility in safeguarding cultural heritage.

As part of the monitoring, it was agreed to conduct a tour of the extraction site to locate it spatially and functionally, as well as to recover possible human osteological remains linked to the funerary context.

In addition, authorities and residents expressed their interest in creating a community museum to highlight the discovery and other contexts previously explored in the region, for which they requested the advice of the INAH Oaxaca Center.

In this regard, the federal Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, highlighted that “these findings reflect that Mexico has a wealth of heritage that confirms the greatness of our history,” and stressed the need to “conserve, study and disseminate these assets responsibly.”