Marked human bones from a prehistoric Tarasco Indian burial place in the state of Michoacan, Mexico / by Carl Lumholtz and Aleš Hrdlička.

Carl Sofus Lumholtz

Date:: 1898]

Credit: Marked human bones from a prehistoric Tarasco Indian burial place in the state of Michoacan, Mexico / by Carl Lumholtz and Aleš Hrdlička. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$I am informed by Dr. N. Leon that two kinds of Tarasco burial-jars are found in Michoacan,—large ones, r.50 by 0.80 m., which contain the skeleton with clothing and utensils (this kind belongs to a very ancient epoch) ; and small ones, measuring 0.50 m. by 0.20 to 0.25 m., containing the body burnt or half burnt. The greater number is of the former class. He has not found either kind with covers in Zacapu. At present, jars re¬ sembling the large kind are manufactured in Comanja, near Zacapu. Burial-jars, according to the same informant, have never before been found associated with burials, as in this case. The most curious objects discovered, however, while we were excavating near ‘ El Palacio,’ were some marked human bones (Plates VI, VII, VIII, IX), which excited the interest of even the Mexicans working there. We unearthed, all together, 26 marked human bones dispersed among the skeletons. There were 11 femurs, 3 humeri, 11 tibiae, and 1 fibula. Most of these were in an imperfect condition, 1 humerus and 3 tibiae being the only perfect specimens in the lot. It was impossible to ascertain, with any degree of certainty, to which bodies they belonged, on account of the evident unsystematic, almost haphazard mode of burial, contrasting strangely with the apparent care shown in the markings on the bones. For a detailed description of these bones I refer the reader to the second part of this paper, prepared by my friend, Dr. A. Hrdlicka. Let us first consider the circumstances under which they were found. As has been said, there were possibly three types of peo¬ ple interred at this remarkable ancient burial-place, the majority of them being Tarasco. There is circumstantial as well as so- matologic evidence that this was the case. Mixed with them were the remains of a peculiar type of people. Their heads had been artificially flattened in a singular manner. I have seen a few specimens of this kind of skull at the residence of Dr. Perez at Uruapan, State of Michoacan, who thought, how¬ ever, that the extraordinary flattening of the front, and the bulg¬ ing out at the back and sides, were the natural growth of the skulls. This, however, cannot be the case, as they show undoubted marks of artificial deformation. The skulls in possession of Dr. Perez had been brought to him from some caves to the south- 1Alarch, i8q8d\ A$