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Trove of ancient skulls and bones found stacked on top of each other during construction project in Mexico
Archaeologists working on a site in Mexico found ancient skulls and bones stacked on top of each other, offering a glimpse into the practices of how some funerals might have been carried out in the region and era, officials said.
The discovery was made in Pozo de Ibarra, a small town in the state of Jalisco. Personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, a government department, were observing the construction of a sanitary sewage network, to protect any cultural artifacts that might be found during the project, the INAH said in a news release.
As the work went on, the archaeologists discovered a funerary system, where a series of bones were carefully arranged. Long bones, like tibias and femurs, were placed in one part of the system, while skulls were in another area. Some skulls were even stacked on top of each other.
Claudia Servín Rosas, INAH
In total, researchers found at least seven complete skulls, the INAH said, each likely belonging to a male individual. Those individuals were all of different ages, and some of the skulls show cranial modification, a social practice where the skull was shaped a certain way for aesthetic purposes, the institute said.
The archaeologists were able to determine that the bones were placed in these patterns after they had become skeletonized, suggesting a “complex funerary system,” according to the INAH. All of the bones were buried at the same time.
It’s not clear why the burial would have been conducted this way, the INAH said, noting that that there are no precedents for this type of funeral. The department suggested that the seven men might have been from one family and that the remains were buried there as part of a rite to found a settlement.
The practice may date back to the Amapa cultural era, which occurred from 500 AD to 800 or 850 AD. Ceramic vessels and figurines found at the site have helped researchers determine the time frame when it may have been built.
The remains will be protected and preserved for further research, the INAH said.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.