Archeologists have uncovered the 1,300-year-old skeleton of a ruler or priest of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization together with precious jewels inside a much-looted pyramid in western Bolivia.
The bones are "in very good condition" and belong to either "a ruler or a priest," Roger Angel Cossio, the Bolivian archeologist who made the discovery, told Reuters on Wednesday.
He said the tomb -- containing a diadem and fist-sized carved pendant of solid gold -- survived centuries of looting by Spanish invaders and unscrupulous raiders who depleted Tiwanaku of many precious treasures.
"After so much looting... miraculously this has stayed to tell us the history," Cossio said.
"It's a complete body... next to it are jewels, offerings and a llama," he said.
Cossio believes the remains belong to someone of importance in the Tiwanaku society.
"Not just anyone would be buried under the Akapana pyramid" he said.
For more, see the Reuters article.
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road