Sunday, June 24, 2007

Hole in Inca Skull Caused By Musket Ball

An Inca skull with a round hole was discovered among a pile of oddly-buried skeletons in Lima, Peru. Archaeologist Guillermo Cock says he immediately thought people may have been shooting guns at the site. But careful analysis of the hole showed that it was an old one and it had traces of metal which can only be attributed to a musket ball. The victim died along with others of his people in the 1500s, the time when Spanish conquistadors invaded their civilization and eventually, practically wiped their culture out.

Cock and fellow archaeologist Elena Goycochea have recovered 72 victims of apparent violence during that time. All were in shallow graves with no evidence of any ceremonies given the dead. They could have been buried by the Spanish soldiers themselves after an uprising against them which occurred in 1532.

"How to Enhance Children's Imagination of the Past When Teaching History"

No comments: