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Spiral circle of linked human skeletons discovered at Pre-Aztec burial site in Mexico

A spiral formation of human remains has been unearthed in an ancient burial pit during excavations at a Pre-Aztec village in the south of Mexico City.

The discovery, dating from roughly 2400 years ago was made during works by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) at the Pontifical University of Mexico.

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Anthropologists Lucía López Mejía and Sonia Rodríguez Martínez have confirmed that most of the ten burials were adolescents, although an adult, infant and the remains of a month-old child has also been identified.

They also confirmed that at least two of the burials had intentionally deformed skulls and some of the skeletons teeth had also been intentionally malformed.

Whilst the causes of death are still under investigation, the method of carefully positioned into a spiral formation with linked arms suggests a ritualistic component involved.

This theory is reinforced by the placement of offerings, from earthenware bowls and pots (cajetes & tecomates), and in some burials where ceramic spheres and stones were placed in the skeletons hands.

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After five months of rescue work at the UPM, the INAH team has located more than 20 other trunk-shaped pits, of which six contained individual burials of mostly adults.

Image Credit : INAH
Image Credit : INAH

INAH

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Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is a multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
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