ABSTRACT

Physical anthropology, especially osteology, palaeopathology and bioarchaeology, has a long tradition in Mexico, due to more than 10,000 years of pre-Hispanic history in the country. From the earliest human occupation to the first villages and their cultivation techniques, the rise of socio-political complexity and the development of prime state societies, the cities of Teotihuacan, Monte Albán and the Aztec Empire with Tenochtitlan as its capital, pre-Hispanic cultures settled all around the Mexican territory and left behind the material evidence of thousand of villages, towns and cities. Multiple archaeological excavations since the 18th century have produced thousands of human remains corresponding to very ancient skeletons, from the first hunter-gatherers of the Americas to skeletons from historical periods. As result of this situation, osteology, as a common practice, developed a long time ago. A few years after Mexican Independence, two important actions were taken by the govern-

ment to protect the National Property in order to stop the looting of ancient buildings and artefacts and to prevent the illegal movement of these valuable objects outside the country. As a protection measure, in 1822 the ‘Antiquities Conservatory’ was established, which depended on the University; and in 1825 the National Museum was founded. Two years later the first archaeological legislation was promulgated. This was the antecedent of the following legislation related to the archaeological heritage. At the end of that century, in 1897, Mexican legislation declared that archaeological monuments and objects were National Patrimony. Nevertheless it was not until the 20th century, in 1939, that a specific legislation for archaeological excavation was promulgated. The legislation framework and methodology regarding the excavation, lifting, analysis and curation of ancient remains are regulated by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia or National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH). It was established on 3 February 1939 through the law Ley Orgánica del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, promulgated on 31 December 1938 in the Diario Oficial de la Federación. In that same year the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) was created under INAH’s responsibility and sponsorship. Many others laws and decrees were promulgated in this effort to preserve and protect the National Heritage, but it was not until 1972 that a specific legislation for archaeological excavation was

promulgated and still prevails today (García Barcena 1993). In 1996 a total of 155 archaeological sites opened to the public under INAH management. Although this may seem a lot, conservative estimates indicates a total of 200,000 to 250,000 archaeological sites in the country, from caves and temporal shelters to large cities such as Teotihuacan or Chichen Itza (Martínez Muriel 2002).