Ancient pre-Hispanic human remains have been discovered at the Antiguo Cuscatlan suburb of San Salvador. The skeletal remains were found face-down and preliminary estimates date them to around 850 B.C.

Archaeologists discovered the grave in a trench at the Pasaje 4 archaeological site under layers of volcanic ash deposits from various periods.

Among the findings, a human skeleton stands out, as well as a small Usulután ceramic vessel shaped like a sea turtle; two yucca cultivation furrows found under segments of ash from volcanic eruptions (from different periods), one from the Plan de la Laguna (850 BC) and another furrow under the eruption of the Ilopango Caldera Circa 431-539 CE.

The remains found were in a ventral position (face down) at 17 degrees east of north, and according to initial estimates, it may be a skeleton from 850 BC. In addition, it is believed that a similar number of remains to those found in Structure 3-7, in Chalchuapa, could be found in the area.

The burial was removed in a soil block so that the remains can be fully excavated in laboratory condition, preserving organic materials, even small traces, as much as possible. Archaeologists will radiocarbon date the remains in the hopes of narrow downing the burial date. They will also attempt to extract archaeological DNA for testing. If the estimates are confirmed, the discovery will be one of the oldest pre-Hispanic burials in Mesoamerica.

A group of 43 figurines deposited as a ritual offering 3,800 years ago have been discovered in Peñico in the Caral Archaeological Zone on the Pacific coast of Peru. The discovery sheds new light on the ceremonial practices and cultural continuity of the people who inhabited the cities of the first urban civilization of the Americas after the demise of the Caral Civilization.

The 43 pieces were carved from wood and bone and include representations of mythological figures, anthropomorphic figures, among them one female and what may be deities, geometric and abstract shapes, zoomorphic figures like birds, snakes, and tadpoles. Some of the figures show evidence of exposure to fire, which archaeologists believe may have been part of the ritual. Beads of Chrysocolla (a blue stone) and different types of shells were found in the grouping. They were likely intended to be inlaid on the carved figures.

Archaeologists found the objects in an excavation of the Major Public Building of Peñico. They had been placed together in a small area bordered with a semicircle of pebbles. It was filled with soil and covered with a capstone. This deposit was associated the construction of a new platform of the building.

The urban center of Peñico was founded around 1800 BCE, with an archaeological occupation area of ​​19.44 hectares, in a period following the decline of the earliest and most prestigious urban centers of the Caral Civilization, including the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, located 12.93 km away. Far from representing a cultural break, research indicates that this city, where 15 public buildings were found, was conceived as a space for integration between the coast and the highlands. It even received goods from the rainforest and preserved and transformed knowledge, ritual practices, and forms of organization inherited from the Caral tradition, which had flourished centuries earlier in the same valley.

The recent discovery provides evidence of this historical continuity. Specialists have identified similarities in the materials used, the incision techniques, and the iconographic patterns present in the recovered pieces. Furthermore, archaeological analyses indicate that the offering was deposited during the initial stages of construction of the Main Public Building, as part of ceremonies related to the consecration of architecturally significant spaces.

The offerings were discovered in December 2025 and have been undergoing cleaning and conservation ever since. Conservation has been completed on 32 of the objects which have now gone on display at the office of the Culture Ministry in Lima.

Archaeologists with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered an ancient Toltec altar and human remains near the Tula archaeological zone north of Mexico City. It dates to the Tollan period (900–1150 A.D.) when Tula was the capital city of the Toltec Empire.

The momoztli (altar) measures about one meter (3.3 feet) square and was built out of different stones, including volcanic blocks and river stone. It consists of three sections: a base of andesite quarry stone with small blocks no more than four inches thick on the outer face, a second section of larger slabs of andesite and a top section composed of river stones and basalt.

Four skulls, one of them still connected to a vertebral column, and several long bones, probably femurs, were found placed on three of the four sides. Their placement suggests a ritual purpose, and archaeologists believe they may be the result of ceremonial decapitations. Ceramic vessels, including a black bowl containing another bowl, obsidian fragments, obsidian blades and bone tools, known to have been used in sacrificial rituals, were also found. Archaeologists also uncovered shell remains, spindle whorls and awls, objects that played roles in both ritual practices and daily life. The fourth side has not yet been fully excavated; there are likely to be remains there too.

At the base of the altar were two skulls, one facing upwards and the other southwest. As the levels descended, a compacted layer with stucco, possibly lime and sand, was detected, and beneath this were found the other two incomplete skeletons, as well as some vessels.

Heredia Guillén said there is little chance of finding complete skeletons, because perhaps only those parts of the individuals were offered as sacrifices. Once registered, they will be sent to the project’s physical anthropology laboratory in the State of Mexico to determine age, sex, bone pathologies, and even whether they were decapitated, since one of the skulls still appears to be attached to the spine.

“In this case, although metals were already being worked in the Postclassic period, we know that here decapitations were still done with obsidian or flint knives, and they left cut marks on the bones,” he explained.

The altar was found near the Tula Chico area, about 300 meters (984 feet) from the perimeter wall of the Toltec capital. Remains of walls and foundations indicate the altar was in the center of a courtyard. INAH archaeologists believe the walls are the remains of elite buildings as people of high social rank in Tula lived outside the walls of the city.

All of the artifacts and remains recovered from the excavation will be cleaned, conserved and studied in laboratory conditions. The bones will be analyzed to narrow down the date of deposition and to determine the individual’s age, sex, geographical origins, health and possible causes of death.