Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – During recent excavations in the northern Huasteca region, archaeologists uncovered a cube-shaped ancient skull that once held significant cultural value in Mexico. These remains were discovered at the Balcón de Montezuma Archaeological Zone in Tamaulipas, an area with a history of human habitation spanning at least 8,000 years.
Over time, various cultures—including those from the north coast, south coast, lowlands, and mountains—have inhabited the area. Tamaulipas was initially settled by both nomadic Chichimec groups and sedentary Huastec peoples. Additionally, other non-Chichimec tribes engaged in hunting, gathering, and fishing also lived in the region.
Balcón de Montezuma Archaeological Zone. Credit: INAH
According to researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), this finding represents the first documented evidence of intentional cranial modification in northern Huasteca. The analyzed skull belonged to a 40-year-old man who lived during the Mesoamerican Classic period (400–900 AD) in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Scientists noted that while cranial deformation was a widespread cultural practice across Mesoamerica, this particular cube-like form is distinct from other known types.
First Ancient Cube-Like Skull Found At Balcón de Montezuma
The research is being led by Velasco González and the archaeologist Carlos Vanueth Pérez Silva, both at INAH. Their project revisits earlier 1990s investigations and employs modern methodologies further to explore early settlement patterns in this historically rich region.
Velasco González noted that the 1,500-year-old skull exhibits a tabular erect form, but with an unusually flat upper surface that has not been previously documented in this region. This distinctive, cube-like appearance is caused by compression from the back of the head to the top, resulting in a geometric shape rather than the more typical conical forms found elsewhere.
Alongside new archaeological excavations, researchers also reviewed existing material catalogs to compare previous data with recent discoveries, including analyses of human bone remains. Through this process, they identified intentional cranial deformation at this type of site for the first time. Additionally, they discovered a variant of cranial modification models recognized in Mesoamerica that had not been reported in this area until now.
“The type recorded for Balcón de Montezuma is tabular erect, but it has a superior plane that had not been seen before in bone remains recovered in the Huasteca region. Unlike other common types, this shape is tabular superior or parallelepiped, a term some specialists use because of the polyhedral appearance it gives the skull. Here, the compression plane lies between the lambda above the occipital angle and the sagittal suture in the parietal bones. This causes the head to appear more square, unlike the typical conical shape,” he explains.
This is a Mesoamerican variant called upper tabular or parallelepiped. Credit: INAH
Velasco González notes that upper tabular deformation, similar to that found at Balcón de Montezuma, has also been observed at the El Zapotal site in Veracruz and, more recently, in the Maya area. However, in these cases, the upper plane differs in degree from that of Balcón de Montezuma. In El Zapotal, the face flattens and projects greater height, while in Balcón, it is lower.
“Therefore, we sought to corroborate any migration or connection between inhabitants of El Zapotal (Totonac region), located in south-central Veracruz or southeastern Mexico, and the northern Huasteca region. Stable oxygen isotope studies in collagen and bioapatite samples from bone and teeth—a technique used to infer the geographic origin of the second individual’s skeletal remains—indicate that he was born, lived, and died in this part of the mountains.
Thus, the results rule out a direct mobility relationship with the El Zapotal groups or with those further south. However, it is noted that, culturally, this trait could have another meaning, as it is known that it was long used as an indicator of various types of relationships among the peoples who inhabited the Gulf of Mexico coasts in pre-Columbian times, from Yucatan to Florida,” Velasco González said.
Mesoamericans Practiced Various Forms Of Cranial Modification
Intentional cranial modification was a widespread cultural practice in Mesoamerica, as observed by anthropologists. This practice took several forms, classified according to the shapes seen in skeletal remains and the specific devices used to shape the skull during early childhood. For example, erect and oblique tabular cranial deformation involved attaching boards and bandages to a child’s head, sometimes with caps or cradles. These methods produced distinctive skull shapes that influenced an individual’s appearance and accentuated the use of headdresses and ornaments for social differentiation.
Tonantzin Silva Cárdenas, director of the INAH Center in Tamaulipas, underscores the significance of resuming research that had been paused since the site first opened to visitors. The materials recovered from 2010 onward have enabled more detailed analyses and have expanded on earlier work by archaeologists Jesús Nárez Zamora and Araceli Rivera.
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Furthermore, current studies led by physical anthropologists are providing new data that both confirm and refine hypotheses from research conducted in the 1990s. By applying updated techniques and perspectives, these investigations are enriching our understanding of bioarchaeology at this site.
The findings also highlight connections between this mountainous region of northern Huasteca and Mesoamerican peoples from both the Gulf Coast Lowlands and groups further north into present-day Mexico, and even into southern parts of what is now the United States.
Source: INAH
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer