El Opeño Tombs — Jacona
Early Formative (1600–1300 BCE) Early!·Capacha / El Opeño·🇲🇽 Michoacán, Mexico
About
About El Opeño Tombs — Jacona
El Opeño Tombs — Jacona in Michoacán, Mexico is a Early Formative (1600–1300 BCE) Early! tomb attributed to Capacha / El Opeño. Earliest Mesoamerican shaft tombs with 2 m shafts, oldest ceramics and jade. Oliveros: 3 tombs with oldest Mesoamerican pottery anth to Olmec horizon.
Why it mattersKey Capacha / El Opeño compound illustrating Teotihuacan urban organization
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Urban craft specialization
- 02Mural iconography interpretation
Theories
- 01Multi-ethnic barrio model
- 02Theocratic palace administration
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1500 BCE
- Period
- Early Formative (1600–1300 BCE) Early!
- Culture
- Capacha / El Opeño
- Purpose
- Earliest Mesoamerican shaft tombs with 2 m shafts, oldest ceramics and jade
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 1500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1960 CE
Modern INAH excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
19.9500° N · 102.3000° W · 1600 m · 3 mapped features
El Opeño Tombs — Jacona — Shaft Entrance
shaftVertical shaft entrance
19.9501° N · 102.2999° WEl Opeño Tombs — Jacona — Burial Chambers
chamberUnderground chambers with offerings
19.9499° N · 102.2998° WEl Opeño Tombs — Jacona — Offering Cache
cacheCeramic offering deposit
19.9503° N · 102.3002° W