Burial Tombs at La Galgada
Once a ceremonial chamber was no longer in use it would be converted into a burial tomb. Original roofs were removed and replaced with new roofs of unworked boulders. Inside these chambers would initially be place a couple of extended burials along with a minimal amount of grave goods. Other than the roofs being re-worked during the conversion process, the rest of the interior of the chamber was left predominately alone.
Ceremonial chambers would often retain access for at least a couple of generations. In the majority of instances there were later burials added to the originals. These later burials would be placed into the tombs in a bundled fashion, different from the original extended burials. It is not known whether or not these secondary burials were related to the original inhabitants either biologically or socially.
When these ceremonial chambers were converted to burial tombs they were also built on top of with new ritual chambers. Mixtures of stone and dirt would be placed over the tomb to serve as the base for these new chambers. In order to retain access after being covered over, tombs would have a stone-lined tunnel or shaft that would lead from the top surface down to the tombs.
