Archaeologists excavating a Mesoamerican site in Mexico have discovered an unusual cubic-shaped human skull. This is the first evidence that, about 1,400 years ago, people in this area practiced a unique form of head modification, known scientifically as cranial modification.
The skull was discovered near an archaeological site. Montezuma Balcony (Balcony of Montezuma) in the east-central Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Various Mesoamerican ethnic groups lived in this area between 650 BC. e. and 1200 AD e. Around 400 AD e. a village emerged, eventually comprising about 90 roundhouses in two plazas, according to Mexican residents. National Institute of Anthropology and History (inah).
In a recent review of artifacts and bones discovered at the Balcony of Montezuma, researchers noticed that the skull of a middle-aged man had a shape they had never seen before.
Translated by INAH on November 25 statementbiological anthropologist Jesus Ernesto Velasco Gonzalez explained that although artificially modified skulls had been found in the area before, the shape of this man's skull was unique.
Many people are familiar with the cultures in which it was practiced. cone-shaped cranial modificationsince these skulls have almost “alien” appearance. These skull shapes were usually created using pieces of fabric or soft padding to “bind” babies' heads and encourage the skull to grow in a “slanted” direction, making them appear elongated.
Meanwhile, most of the modified skulls from Montezuma's Balcony are “straight” shaped by placing soft padding on the back and/or front of the skull, resulting in a more upright or pointed head.
But Montezuma's Balcony Man has another form of “direct” modification in which the top of his head was flattened, giving his skull a cube-shaped appearance that some experts call parallelepiped (shaped like a three-dimensional parallelogram or rhombus).
Since examples of this flat-topped skull shape have only been seen outside the area, including in Veracruz and Mayan In this area, researchers wanted to check whether the person was a local or a foreigner. However, analysis of the chemical composition of the man's bones and teeth showed that he was born in the area, likely lived there all his life and died there.
The researchers suggest that the unusual shape of the human head may have some culturally specific meaning that is still unknown. It is known that in many parts of Mesoamerica the shape of the head varies slightly. correlate with different cultural groups. Although the man himself was not from a different geographic location, it is possible that the people who shaped his head were members of a different cultural group.
According to INAH director Tamaulipas, research into material obtained from past archaeological excavations at the Balcony of Montezuma is ongoing. Tonantzin Silva Cardenasand will help expand experts' understanding of the site and its cultural and historical connections to other pre-Hispanic groups in the area.
