'Alien-Like' Skulls Excavated in Mexico

[Zuni]

I'm also curious to why they would deform the skulls. Most cultures are really sensitive to how the bodies of their dead loved ones are handled. This practice seems counter-intuitive to human nature. I'm guessing they must be some kind of sacrifice. or perhaps it was punishment to the parents for some (real or perceived) sleight. Maybe these children died of disease and they thought they needed to make some gesture toward the gods.

*Edit*
Ah, read the rest of the article. They weren't sick, but no answer on the deformation. Weird shit.

I don't know about the other cultures, but I'm pretty sure in Mayan culture, it was the higher class in society that did this to their kids starting as infants.

 

[heavyarms21]

Xenomorphs !!!!!!!

 

[IAC]

I wonder how long someone with a stretched skull can live. They seem to die very young, which is sad taking account that they only did that to pay tribute to their gods.

 

[Caution]

Coneheads.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

I don't know about the other cultures, but I'm pretty sure in Mayan culture, it was the higher class in society that did this to their kids starting as infants.

yup

"Cranial deformation was probably performed to signify group affiliation,[15] or to demonstrate social status. This may have played a key role in Maya society.[16] It could be aimed at creating a skull shape which is aesthetically more pleasing or associated with desirable attributes. For example, in the Nahai-speaking area of Tomman Island and the south south-western Malakulan, a person with an elongated head is thought to be more intelligent, of higher status, and closer to the world of the spirits"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation

 

[ufcfan4]

Yeah I love reading about that stuff.

Wikipedia is like a time trap.

You look up one thing and than you end up clicking on link after link.

this 100 times over. p4p one of the most awesome sites out there

 

[Yodsanan]

 

[0vary hugger**]

Alien looks exactly like the top one.

True,this happened well before Ridley was a spermatozoan.

 

[ralphc1]

Humans do things like skull binding, foot binding, neck stretching, tattooing, lip stretching, earlobe stretching, body piercing and killing school children because there are many crazy people. One crazy person does something and other crazies copy them.

 

[Ultrashogun]

The Huns did the same thing.

 

[KOQ24]

What inspired them to do that?

different:
-aesthetics
-status
-religious

 

[tkotom]

What happens to her neck if she takes that thing off? Does it never come off? If so it must get reslly dirty under there.

 

[Slick_36]

What happens to her neck if she takes that thing off? Does it never come off? If so it must get reslly dirty under there.

They take them off like once a year to add more rings. I've heard their necks will break from the weight of their head but I've seen them without the rings and nothing happened, so I call BS on it. The rings actually push the shoulders down giving the illusion of a longer neck. It's pretty hardcore. Anyone have a picture of what these people would have looked like alive?

 

[Asmitt09]

Quick!

Somebody notify Joe Rogan of this!!

 

[faustian]

lol

 

[electricsheep81]

Better call Indiana Jones to investigate.

Indiana Jones? This would be a job better left to Mulder and Scully.

 

[ralphc1]

They take them off like once a year to add more rings. I've heard their necks will break from the weight of their head but I've seen them without the rings and nothing happened, so I call BS on it. The rings actually push the shoulders down giving the illusion of a longer neck. It's pretty hardcore. Anyone have a picture of what these people would have looked like alive?

The program I saw showed it as a single piece that is wrapped around the neck many times. Every year, it is unwrapped and a longer piece wrapped around with the previous piece used on a younger woman.

 

[zgames]

Klaus Dona gives his opinion about these skulls, from 1:16:40-1:19:

 

[Sam]

*sigh* prob already been said (i hope) but one can manipulate bone structure/density.

Observe neglected babies who develop a flat back skull because their crackhead mothers never bother to pick them up off their sleeping backs.

 

[KilledByDeath]

I dont really know too much about this particular ritual, i know that the head shaping begins at birth and to some, inca, mixtec, certain bands of maya, it was seen as a cerimonial way of honoring a holyman who was not exactly human in shape,
men were trying very hard to connect with the spirit animals often wearing there skins and such, the Ocelotl warrior and cuahtli warriors of the Mexica for example.

Most of them valued there bodies to much to deform themselves but others didnt.