By: Real America News Updated 22 May 2022, 54: 55 pm EDT
The constant discovery related to drug trafficking crimes in Mexico made us think that the discovery of 150 skulls belonging to decapitated individuals was one more chapter of the so-called narco-graves.
However, to the surprise of the researchers, they were remains dating between the years 900 and 1200, which could to be a tzompantli, Mayan altar to death, in Frontera Comalapa, in the southern state of Chiapas.
From ‘narco-fossa’ to ancient archaeological treasure: The Chiapas Attorney General’s Office believed that it was a crime pit, but anthropological investigations determined the existence of a ‘tzompantli’ or altar of the dead from 1.000 years old
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Javier Montes de Paz, a researcher at the Center of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Chiapas, indicated that the discovery was made in 2012 the then Chiapas Attorney General’s Office when dealing with a criminal complaint related to drug trafficking.
“It was thought to be a narco-grave, a shocking discovery. It turned out to be an ancient archaeological treasure of the Mayan culture”, said the anthropologist.
After a decade of studies, the factors that support the hypothesis are the peculiar deformation of the skulls of straight tabular type dating from the Early Postclassic (900 and 1200 AD), the extraction of teeth and the wooden structure where they were found.
“Studies lead us to suppose that it is a tzompantli (indigenous altar to death), since there is no complete burial, we only have some bones and skulls,” said the researcher .
The expert explained that there are precedents of this type in Chiapas, in the so-called Cueva de las Banquetas, explored in the decade of 1980 by INAH, in the municipality of La Trinitaria, where they were recovered 124 skulls that also did not preserve pieces
One more was located in the Tapesco del Diablo cave, discovered in 1980 in the municipality of Ocozocoautla, where five skulls were found with the peculiarity of having been placed on a wooden tapesco (grille).
The INAH physical anthropologist emphasized the need to continue with the investigations in the Comalapa cave, as there is a lot of work to do and collect to form the story about the altars to death or tzompantli.
“We need funding to continue with the studies that allow us to identify if the skulls had any relationship, if the teeth were removed in life or death , because they were decapitated, find where the dentures are”, he commented.
The tzompantli are known as the ancient altars of the indigenous people in which they performed rituals for their deities Y that for the Spaniards represented a sign of danger.
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