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Remains with heart-shaped skulls discovered in Mexico (photo)

Anastasia Kryshchuk

Remains with heart-shaped skulls discovered in Mexico (photo)
Remains with heart-shaped skulls discovered in Mexico

Skulls that may have been deliberately deformed into the shape of hearts have been discovered in Mexico. They were discovered among human remains at an archaeological site that was inhabited by pre-Hispanic peoples between approximately 600-1350 AD.

Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH) made an unusual discovery in the archaeological zone of La Ferreria in the state of Durango, located in the northwest of the country. This is reported by Newsweek.

The latest discovery, which was made under the floor of the area, includes the remains of eight adults aged 30 to 40 at the time of death. The rest of the skeletons were children aged 1 to 7 years.

Read also: An 1800-year-old marble statue of a nymph was discovered during excavations in Spain (photo)

Most of the skeletons are fragmented, although three adults were found in a good state of preservation. Researchers noticed cranial changes that indicate that the heads were deliberately deformed in the skulls of two of the skeletons.

The deformation of the skull creates a shape that resembles the shape of a heart when viewed from certain angles. The artificial and intentional deformation of skulls is a practice that has been documented in various ancient cultures around the world, including those of Mesoamerica, which covered much of Mexico and Central America.

The development of the skull is distorted by the use of force, which can be achieved through various techniques, such as tying between pieces of wood. As a rule, such methods are used in childhood, as the skull is most flexible at this time.

Archaeologists find ancient human skulls in the shape of a heart in Mexico. Source: INAH
Archaeologists find ancient human skulls in the shape of a heart in Mexico. Source: INAH

As a reminder, a 16th-century Mayan canoe surrounded by animal and human bones was found in Mexico.

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