Road sits atop Indian burial ground

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Work on a road in Texas has gone slowly because of an ancient Native American burial ground underneath.

The Corpus Christi Times reports that the burial site extends most of the length of Ennis Joslin Road.

The Texas Department of Transportation learned of the site in the 1990s. But they delayed making it public for fear that looters would make off with ancient artifacts.

Archaeologists believe that the site is hundreds of years old, possibly dating back to 2500 BC and that it was used by the ancestors of the Karankawa Indians During the road work, they have uncovered several skeletons, shell necklaces and some other artifacts.

Most of the burials are believed to be below the level of the road work. The burial ground is far larger than the road area, possibly the biggest in Texas. Officials say that scavenging of artifacts has been a problem since the 1930s.