Located in El Caño Archaeological Park in the Natá district of Coclé Province, the tomb serves as the resting place of a young chief dating back to around 750-800 AD.

In the ancient Coclé culture that thrived in Panama from 200 BC to 1550 AD, prominent individuals didn’t face eternal solitude. Instead, archaeological evidence from ancient burial sites suggests that Coclé leaders and nobility were sometimes interred alongside their companions.

According to Fashion History, these chosen companions, often wives or favored servants, were sacrificed as part of the funeral rites. Consequently, many bodies were often found buried together, though the lavishness of the young chief’s burial at El Caño stands out. The chief’s body was discovered laid atop a female corpse, a practice experts believe was common in ancient Coclé culture. However, what’s particularly striking isn’t just the burial itself but the plethora of gold artifacts and bones of 31 others found.

The Panama Ministry of Culture reports that among the offerings, most of the ceramic and gold artifacts were discovered as part of the funeral. Among the luxurious items were two belts made of gold beads, four bracelets, two pairs of male and female-shaped earrings, a crocodile-shaped earring, and a beaded necklace.

Additionally, there were five earrings made from shell-covered gold teeth, two gold discs, two bells, a dress and bracelet made from dog teeth, and a flute made from bone.