Thread: Remains of 167 Bodies Found in Mexican Cave

Remains of 167 Bodies Found in Mexican Cave

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 10, 2012 at 1:18 PM ET

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say they've found the bodies of 167 people in a southern Mexican cave, and forensic experts believe the remains are at least 50 years old.

Prosecutors in Chiapas state said in a statement Saturday that the remains were found Friday on the Nuevo Ojo de Agua ranch in an area frequently used by Central American migrants traveling north. The statement said there were no visible signs of violence on the remains, which "break easily."

The authorities say they will "not discard any line of investigation."

Mass graves have been found in the past two years mainly in northern Mexico containing the bodies of dozens of migrants and others allegedly killed by drug cartels.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012...d.html?_r=1&hp

Mass grave found in Mexico is 1,300 years old

updated 3/11/2012 3:35:40 PM ET

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.

The grave was discovered in a cave on a remote ranch near the town of Frontera Comalapa, about 11 miles from the Guatemalan border. Authorities said on Saturday that the grave appeared to be at least 50 years old.

The top Chiapas official from Mexico's national anthropology institute said the site shared characteristics with other cemeteries that date from the years 700 to 1200, the statement said.

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