ARQUEOLOGIA IBEROAMERICANA - ISSN 1989-4104
Vol. 53 (2024), pp. 72–82 •   2.22 MB
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Ingris Peláez-Ballestas,1 Alejandro Valdés-Herrera,2 Carlos Karam-Tapia,3
Miguel Alberto Ibarra-López,4 Alfonso Gastélum-Strozzi,5 Patricia Rodríguez-Nava,6 Ernesto J. Dena, 7 José Luis Punzo-Díaz 8

(1) Rheumatology Unit, Hospital General de México "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", Mexico City, Mexico (pelaezin@gmail.com, ORCID); (2) Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico (alex_vh4@hotmail.com, ORCID); (3) Centro INAH Michoacán, Morelia, Mexico (carlos_karam@inah.gob.mx, ORCID); (4) Centro INAH Michoacán, Morelia, Mexico (miguel_ibarra_lop@enah.edu.mx, ORCID); (5) ICAT, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico (alfonso.gastelum@icat.unam.mx, ORCID); (6) Radiology Department, Hospital General de México "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", Mexico City, Mexico (patydena58@gmail.com, ORCID); (7) Radiology Department, Hospital General de México "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", Mexico City, Mexico (drernesto.dena@yahoo.com.mx, ORCID); (8) Corresponding Author, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Centro INAH Michoacán, Morelia, Mexico (jose_punzo@inah.gob.mx, ORCID)


Arqueol. Iberoam.


Abstract
This paper presents, from an approach of archaeothanatology, osteobiography, bioarchaeology of care and palimpsest, the analysis of one of the most important archaeological findings recently made in western Mexico. It is about a female person buried in a lavish tomb in the Tingambato archaeological site, Michoacán, Mexico, dated 1400 years ago, with more than 19,000 objects covering her body. This research presents the results of the work of almost a decade of studies carried out by different methods on this individual: morphophysical studies, taphonomy, dating, genetics, as well as various techniques of virtual archaeology among others. Through the Index of Care it was possible to systematize all the information obtained by different study methods and integrate it for analysis. The use of archaeothanatology and the Index of Care makes it possible to perform analyses on specific individuals from the past to establish their health conditions and the probable causes of death. The main limitation that arose was the poor state of preservation in which we received the bones, which unfortunately did not allow us to carry out some morphoscopic and taphonomic studies that would have been relevant.

Keywords
Index of Care, Tingambato, palimpsest, maternal death, western Mexico, aDNA, paleoimagenology.


Resumen
Este artículo presenta, desde un enfoque de la arqueotanatología, la osteobiografía, la bioarqueología del cuidado y el palimpsesto, el análisis de uno de los hallazgos arqueológicos más importantes realizados recientemente en el Occidente de México. Se trata de una persona del sexo femenino enterrada en una fastuosa tumba del sitio arqueológico de Tingambato, Michoacán, México, fechado hace 1400 años, con más de 19000 objetos que cubrían su cuerpo. Esta investigación presenta los resultados del trabajo de casi una década de estudios realizados mediante diferentes métodos sobre este individuo: morfofísicos, tafonomía, datación, genética, así como diversas técnicas de arqueología virtual entre otras. Mediante el índice de cuidado fue posible sistematizar toda la información obtenida por los diferentes métodos de estudio e integrarla para su análisis. El uso de la arqueotanatología y el índice de cuidado permite realizar análisis sobre individuos específicos del pasado para establecer sus condiciones de salud y las probables causas de su muerte. La principal limitación que se planteó fue el mal estado de conservación en que recibimos los huesos, lo cual, lamentablemente, no nos permitió realizar algunos estudios morfoscópicos y tafonómicos que hubieran sido relevantes.

Palabras clave
Índice de cuidado, Tingambato, palimpsesto, muerte materna, Occidente de México, ADNa, paleoimagenología.

Cite as
Peláez-Ballestas, I.; A. Valdés-Herrera; C. Karam-Tapia; M.A. Ibarra-López; A. Gastélum-Strozzi; P. Rodríguez-Nava; E.J. Dena; J.L. Punzo-Díaz. 2024. Maternal Death as a Representation of the War with Life in Western Mexico: Analysis of Tomb II at Tingambato, Mexico, from the Perspective of the Bioarchaeology of Care and the Model of the Palimpsest in Health. Arqueología Iberoamericana 53: 72–82.

Other Persistent Identifiers

Received: March 20, 2024. Accepted: April 10, 2024. Published: April 24, 2024.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Consejo de Arqueología del INAH, National Geographic, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACTY), University of Auckland, Harvard University, and all the students and colleagues who have selflessly participated in this study.

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