Mass grave found in Mexico is 1,300 years old

There a post yesterday about the grave being found--saw the headline, but can't find the thread now.

Turns out it's 1,300 years old
www.msnbc.msn.com...

MEXICO CITY — A mass grave discovered in southern Mexico with the remains of 167 people is approximately 1,300 years old, the Chiapas state prosecutor's office said in a statement, after authorities had originally thought the grave was only 50 years old.

Forensic experts and anthropologists said the skulls showed signs of artificial deformation practiced more than 1,000 years ago by natives in the area, the statement dated Saturday said. Ancient pottery was also found at the site, it said.

The Maya people, who lived in Southern Mexico and Guatemala, would use planks to flatten and elongate the skulls of infants.

In the picture shown with the article, I don't see any obvious skull deformation, but maybe we will hear more of that later.
I guess the question is now, to me anyway, why a mass grave? Did they all die at the same time,or was this cave just where they put bodies?

Hmm...sorry don't have an answer for your question, but why did they want their heads to be flat and elongated??? That's strange enough as it is...sounds like they were trying to emulate something, or someone...

Looks like they either have the wrong image up or the story is off, those skulls depicted are not shaped. However good story.

Considering the bloody past of the pre-Incan times I wouldn't be surprized. If the skulls were separated then they may have been a sacrifice cache

If the skeletons are intact then they may have all died from asphyxiation. The earth may have belched deadly gases while they were in the cave or the surface air was poisonous and they took shelter in the cave hoping to escape the contaminated air.

Oxygen deficient atmospheres are the basis for many occurrences of single and multiple deaths; the deceased will be found lying prone on the bottom of a tank, and then the observer will rush in to rescue them, and succumb to the same effect, hence the need to vent or purge the inert gases from all tanks before entry.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by dude69
Hmm...sorry don't have an answer for your question, but why did they want their heads to be flat and elongated??? That's strange enough as it is...sounds like they were trying to emulate something, or someone...

edit on 12-3-2012 by dude69 because: (no reason given)

People all over the world practice body modification, always have and probably always will. From tattoos to elongated necks to bigger boobs to utterly unexplainable alteration...

Originally posted by Versa

People all over the world practice body modification, always have and probably always will. From tattoos to elongated necks to bigger boobs to utterly unexplainable alteration...

I wonder what anthropologists will make of the last two a thousand years from now.

Originally posted by Pauligirl
I wonder what anthropologists will make of the last two a thousand years from now.

lol no doubt they'll believe we were trying to emulate the gods or using body modification for spiritual reasons...

If in doubt attribute a spiritual/religious meaning to it