Throughout history, every civilization has had its own customs and traditions. Many of these rituals involved drugs and by nature, we have everything from the practice of looking at a volcano and throwing cows at it, to the Mayan ball games (which also involved drugs), to the industry of Egypt’s death. And now… we get tattoos of the ashes of someone very close to us.

Returning to the Maya, a series of bones so well preserved were discovered ten years ago that they were exhibited in the Museum of Mayan Architecture in the Historic Center of Campeche under the title ‘The multiple burials of Uxul and the phenomenon of ritual violence’. The name leaves no room for doubt and hides a story as interesting as it is frightening.

In excellent conditionIn 2013, under the auspices of the Uxul Archaeological Project, a collaboration between German and Mexican archaeologists from the INAH Campeche Center discovered the remains of bones belonging to about 20 individuals from the pre-Hispanic period. They were in perfect conditions that allowed the documentation and analysis of the collection, since in addition to the bone remains, rarely preserved organic tissues were also found.

These remains were buried in a gravel mass cavity and sealed with a layer of mud. Animal bones and some tools were also found, but what is unique about all of these is that the slab does not appear to have changed since it was sealed, meaning that the remains have been protected from moisture, light and oxygen for centuries.

Every man for himself. Things get a little confusing from here, and it must have taken the researchers a while to actually count the human bodies. The remains were found of 14 men, one woman, several teenagers, a child around 18 months old, and a newborn baby. The problem is, almost all of them are dismembered.

Archaeologists reported that the skeletons were not found in their natural anatomical joints because the arms and legs had been separated from the torso, but also that almost all of the skulls were scattered throughout the grave. Decapitated, wow.

These marks show the cut marks at the intersections of the muscles.

And ruthlesslyOsteological analysis showed that all body parts from different bodies had the same cut marks, trauma, and anatomical positions. This told archaeologists that these people had died in the same way (or were intended to) and in a single incident.

But that’s not all; they also determined that most of the body parts were exposed to an indirect heat source of around 200 degrees Celsius. This was apparently the ideal temperature to prevent calcification, but the reason is unknown.

Systematic rituals. What seems clear is that this was a ritual practice, that these Uxul ceremonies were extreme violence against the settlers, not their own people. It is estimated that the majority of the individuals in this grave were raised in an area about 150 kilometers southeast of Uxul and were transported to the area as captives. It may have been due to war between the two towns and these prisoners… so they were not very lucky.

And animals…In any case, these are people who died at some point during the 7th century AD, and according to researchers, these conditions have made them the best-preserved Mayan remains in the world. If you’re wondering what happened to the poor buried animals, they weren’t dismembered or exposed to heat, but some of them showed signs of being used as food.

The truth is that the death must have been brutal (although we have torture machines in Europe), but the good thing is that burying them in this way ensured that the remains survived to the present day in perfect condition and intact. There are many things you need to know, a little more about the Mayans.

Pictures | INAH

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