Tlalpan

Tlalpan, a borough in southern Mexico City, yielded a remarkable 2,400-year-old burial during salvage excavations by INAH. The circular grave contained ten skeletons -- men, women, and children -- arranged in an interlocking spiral formation, a configuration interpreted as symbolizing the stages of life. At least two skulls showed intentional cranial modification from childhood binding, and some teeth had been deliberately filed into distinctive shapes. Grave offerings included cajetes (clay pots) and tecomates (rounded bowls). The village was settled near Cuicuilco during the Middle to Late Formative period (700-200 BC).