Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) recovered 17 burials dating from the 19th century, found on the outskirts of that historic San Fernando Pantheon, in Mexico City, during the inspection of public works that were performed in the vicinity of the cemetery.
According to the coordinator of the archaeological excavations, Nancy Domínguez Rosas, and the physical anthropologist Eduardo García Flores, from the Directorate of Archaeological Salvage, the burials were located under the floor of the front sidewalk of the pantheon during the supervision of the work carried out. staff of the Secretariat of Works and Services of Mexico City, for the introduction of electrical wiring.
For the placement of the master duct it was necessary to lift the breaststroke that covers the sidewalk in the section that goes from Héroes street to Plaza San Fernando, at this length the burials appeared at shallow depths of 27 to 80 centimeters. The burials contained the removed remains of various individuals interred within the funerary enclosure, whose original extension in the 19th century encompassed what is now Calle San Fernando.
Both specialists emphasize that it is the first time that the discovery and rescue of burials corresponding to the Pantheon of San Fernando has been reported, since other archaeological salvages had allowed finding similar contexts in other pantheons of the time, such as Santa Paula, Santa María La Redonda and Los Angeles, all of them located in what was the northwestern limit of the city, which occupied what is now called the Historic Center.
They refer that this important funerary space was built in 1832, thus replacing the cemetery that extended in the atrium of the temple for the service of the friars of the Apostolic College of San Fernando de Propaganda Fide. The new pantheon, with 600 graves, was intended for high-ranking figures; However, the different epidemic outbreaks that occurred in the 19th century, starting with cholera, forced its public use during that century.
Therefore, the specialists do not rule out that some of the bone remains found correspond to victims of these epidemic events, since only morbid cholera caused the death of around 7,000 inhabitants of the Mexican capital, almost 5% of the population ( estimated at 129,000 residents), during its first months, between August and October 1833, although its fatality continued in subsequent years.
“It is striking that this discovery occurs while we are going through a health contingency again, revealing to us how the society of each time has faced health emergencies by modifying its socio-economic, cultural and religious structures, which is reflected in burial patterns. From our disciplines: archeology, bioarcheology and physical anthropology, we recover this identity from the present, ”says Eduardo García Flores.
On a table in the basement of the Casa Rivas Mercado, which serves as a camp for the archaeological project, thanks to the facilities of the 2010 Commemorations Foundation, the physical anthropologist has arranged the most complete skeleton found on the site: that of a young man of approximately 25 years, age estimated from the state of development of the skeletal remains, who must have measured around 1.80 meters.
At the time of the discovery, some skeletons were in relative anatomical relationship, but not the majority, and they had the presence of lime and charcoal, residues that were removed with a brush and a 50 percent alcohol solution, in order to manipulate the bones. . So far, 10 of the 17 burials have been analyzed, and the presence of 15 individuals, mostly middle and elderly adults, both women and men, has been identified.
Archaeologist Nancy Domínguez explains that the “San Hipólito Archaeological Salvage Project” has been operating for months on San Fernando, Violeta, Mina, Héroes, Soto and Esmeralda streets, and on Hidalgo avenues. In that perimeter, in follow-up to works to restore drainage and electrical wiring, and renovation of sidewalks, pre-Hispanic garbage dumps from the former Mexican neighborhood of Cuepopan were registered, which was located on the border of Tenochtitlan with Tlatelolco; and vestiges of floors of the old Convent of San Hipólito and of the nineteenth-century tram that crossed until the 1960s.
In this type of public works, urban archeology must apply a more flexible methodology, since grids cannot be placed for excavation and the materials must be recovered the same day they are located, in that sense, he pointed out, “we must be quite skilled in the moment of making this record so as not to lose information and, in turn, prioritize the conservation of the findings ”.
The project will continue with inspections until the end of January 2022, whose archaeological salvage tasks have verified the constant occupation of what is now the Guerrero colony, since the Late Postclassic period (1250-1521), when it was the seat of Mexican families that They lived in a muddy area on the outskirts of Tenochtitlan, going through the viceregal period, when pastures and convents were established, until the 19th century, which saw it emerge with the establishment of large houses.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx