por The cranial deformations they were artificial ways of intentionally modifying the skull. It was done through the use of various deforming devices such as wooden planks, hats or bandages with the application of force.
This aesthetic procedure occurred during the childhood of the person who is subjected to cranial distortion. During childhood, the bone structure of the skull is softer and more malleable. Therefore, the head was easier to modify.
There are four forms of possible cranial deformation: flattening, elongation, the round shape caused by cloth bandages, and the cone shape. Flattening and lengthening are produced by bandaging two plates on both sides of the head.
The various Latin American indigenous cultures practiced this type of tradition as a symbol of beauty and power. These groups include the Paracas, the Incas, the Nazcas, the Mayas, among others.
In general, head bandaging and other cranial deformation methods begin from the moment the child is born and last for about six months.
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Characteristics of cranial deformations
Cranial deformations are also known as flattening or bandaging of the head. They occur when the child undergoes a skull molding process using various methods.
The cranial distortion must be performed at an early age, even at the time of birth of the child, when the bones of the head are softer and allow this modification.
In adulthood it is not possible to do so, due to the hardness of the skull when it is fully formed. It is done through various techniques.
flattening
The flattening of the head was produced using hard planks of wood, which caused an elongated effect on the skull. For a long period, the head was pressed against the planks, one in front and one behind.
Some pre-Columbian native tribes and the United States used a wooden device in the cradle to mold the skull of the children.
Bandage
Another technique consisted of bandaging the child’s head upwards to produce the effect of a cylindrical skull. With the same technique of placing bandages on the head, the head was molded to give the cone shape.
This was a dangerous method; if the bandage was too tight, the child ran the risk of dying, as has been verified in different archaeological excavations in the Andes.
History
The molding or deformation of the head was practiced throughout history by many peoples of America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania, simultaneously.
Even some tribes in the Republic of the Congo and Vanuatu still practice it. This indicates that the technique was invented more than once by different cultures.
The archaeological data known up to now indicate that the practice of cranial deformations has been carried out for about 45,000 years in various parts of the planet.
Other ancient records dating from the time of Hippocrates in 400 BC describe the shape of the skulls of an African tribe called macrocephalic either long heads.
The reasons for making them were aesthetic or as a symbol of power. About 2,000 years ago head deformation was common among the hunter-gatherer tribes of Patagonia.
Cultures that used this technique
Various peoples and cultures have historically resorted to the practice of cranial deformation. All for status and aesthetic reasons, both in the American continent and in Africa.
The shape of the head was altered according to the wishes of the children’s parents, some were wide, others were elongated. Different tools and methods were used for this. Variants also existed between one culture and another.
These were some of the pre-Columbian towns that practiced it:
Paracas
The Paracas were a people who lived on the coast of Peru south of Lima, between 700 BC and 100 AD, according to anthropological studies.
In archaeological excavations there is evidence of the practice of head deformations using the bandage technique. But, this practice was reserved for the nobility as a symbol of status and distinction.
The deformed skulls have been found in several indigenous cemeteries, specifically in Chongos, a place near the city of Pisco, located north of the port town of Paracas.
They are known as the longheads because of their tubular appearance. They are larger than a normal head, with a cranial capacity of 1.5 litres. The average of a current head is 1.4 liters or cm³.
In the Paracas culture, a wool-filled pad was used that was placed on the frontal bone and another wool-filled tissue bag was also used in the occipital area, both tied with ropes. Meanwhile, the child was immobilized in a wrap in his probably hanging cradle.
The woven cap or turban (llauto) was worn on the back and back of the head with bolistas with small rods that gradually deformed the occipital area. It was used against a woolen pillow stuffed with wool or vicuña hair.
born
The Paracas merged with the Nazcas. This Peruvian people lived approximately 1200 years ago.
They used artifacts similar to the paracas, such as the turban to cause high-vaulted cranial deformation and the pads that they placed on the front and occipital part of the child.
The main discoveries of deformed skulls from the Nazca culture were made in the cemeteries of Montegrande, Callango Tunga, Laramate and Palpa.
incas
The Incas made cranial modifications as a symbol of social status as well. Generally, it was used to distinguish the nobility. Upper class people had an erect tubular head.
This culture used the cradle method and the llauto to cause cranial deformations. ANDIn the early years of the Colony, hehe Spanish conquistadors noticed this custom.
By 1576, the I Provincial Council of Lima enacted laws to combat «the superstition of molding heads», due to the deaths of many children.
Three years later, the Viceroy of Peru, Francisco de Toledo, ordered that «no Indian, nor Indian, squeeze the heads of newborn creatures» because their skulls grew larger, causing irreparable damage.
The Oruro of Bolivia, another pre-Columbian culture, also practiced skull deformations as a symbol of social class.
The indigenous aristocracy had an erect tubular head and the individuals of the middle class had an oblique tubular head. The rest had a ring-shaped head.
mayans
For the ancient Maya, the practice of cranial deformation was a symbol of beauty.
Skulls preserved in the Museum of Mayan Culture in Mérida (Yucatán, Mexico) show the methods used by Mesoamerican aborigines to achieve these deformations.
It was initially believed that the Mayans deformed their skulls by elongating them to wear large headdresses. But, later, more skulls with more rounded deformations were found.
The Maya used the head crush technique, using wooden boards tied tightly to the child’s head from the front and back. They also performed the rounding of the skull through the use of bandages.
References
Why and how did some ancient cultures deform the skulls of babies? Retrieved on February 12, 2018 from bbc.com.
The enigma of the Olmecs and the crystal skulls (PDF). Retrieved from books.google.co.ve.
Allison, Marvin J. et al (PDF): The Practice of Skull Deformation Among Pre-Columbian Andean Peoples. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve.
Borja Villanueva, César Andrés and Gálvez Calla, Luis H (PDF): Artificial head deformations in ancient Peru. Retrieved from google.co.ve.
Cranial deformation as an ideal of Mayan beauty. Recovered from ellitoral.com.