The most striking object emerging from the ground is the head of what Fisher speculated might be “a were-jaguar,” possibly depicting a shaman in a transformed, spirit state. They include stone ceremonial seats (called metates) and finely carved vessels decorated with snakes, zoomorphic figures, and vultures. Many more evidently lie below ground, with possible burials. The tops of 52 artifacts were peeking from the earth. “This is a powerful ritual display, to take wealth objects like this out of circulation.” “The undisturbed context is unique,” Fisher said. Archaeologists don’t even have a name for it.Ĭhristopher Fisher, a Mesoamerican archaeologist on the team from Colorado State University, said the pristine, unlooted condition of the site was “incredibly rare.” He speculated that the cache, found at the base of the pyramid, may have been an offering. In contrast to the nearby Maya, this vanished culture has been scarcely studied and it remains virtually unknown. Photograph by Dave Yoder, National Geographic Honduran troops lead a convoy through a town that served as the base for helicopters ferrying members of the expedition to a location in the Mosquitia rain forest where they examined ruins of an ancient city.
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