Monte Albán - Tomb 7

(Local Name: Tumba 7) The famous Tumba 7 (Tomb 7), discovered in 1932 by Alfonso Caso, lies north-east of the Gran Plaza but somewhat away from the real cult centre to the right of the approach road. The discovery of the tomb was an archaeological sensation: this burial chamber, built by the Zapotecs during the III period, held the largest treasure trove hitherto found in Meso-America. The ante-room contained Zapotec receptacles and burial urns; the Mixtecs buried the mortal remains of nobles here later, probably around the middle of the 14th c. Almost 500 elaborately-worked gold, silver, jade, turquoise, rock crystal and alabaster objects buried by the Mixtecs were discovered. They are now kept in the Oaxaca Regional Museum (Santo Domingo monastery).