Timoteo Mendieta Alcalá and the Pact of Forgetting: trauma analysis of execution victims from a Spanish Civil War mass burial site at Guadalajara, Castilla la Mancha.

Fascist dictator Francisco Franco was responsible for the torture, murder and covert burial of 150-200,000 civilians both during and after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). This comprises one of the largest concentrations of mass graves and victims in the world, yet efforts to exhume them have been strenuously blocked by subsequent governments. This research documents the 2017 exhumation of Timoteo Mendieta Alcalá and 27 other individuals executed between July and November 1939, and interred at the cemetery in Guadalajara, Castilla La Mancha. The analysis includes DNA identifications and an assessment of cultural (possessions) and bioarchaeological variables (age/sex, stature, palaeopathology) in order to contextualise studies of ante/peri-mortem trauma, and thus understand the decedents' lives and the manner in which they were treated before and up to the time of their executions. Of the 24 burials in the main grave, 23 (95.8%) showed gunshot trauma (GSW), 7 (29.2%) showed blunt force trauma (BFT) and 1 (4.2%) showed sharp force trauma (SFT). Five of the main group (20.8%) showed healing lesions indicative of often extensive assault in the weeks leading up to their execution; one individual had sustained 27 fractures. GSW patterns are consistent with an organised firing squad, followed by multiple GSW at close range in the back/side of the head. This research elucidates unrecorded aspects of fascist dominion in 1936-9, adds to extant research on pattern and method in global atrocities, and demonstrates the human cost of the Spanish Civil War to those who aim to trivialise it.

El dictador fascista Francisco Franco fue responsable por la tortura, asesinato y enterramiento encubierto de unos 150­200.000 civiles, tanto durante cómo después de la Guerra Civil Española (1936­1939). Esto comprende uno de los números más grandes de fosas comunes en el mundo, aunado a que los esfuerzos para exhumar a las víctimas han sido enérgicamente bloqueados por gobiernos sucesivos. Esta investigación documenta la exhumación realizada en el año 2017, de Timoteo Mendieta Alcalá y otros 27 individuos que fueron ejecutados entre Julio y Noviembre de 1939, fueron enterrados en el cementerio de Guadalajara, Castilla La Mancha. El análisis incluye la identificación de ADN, una evaluación de la cultura material (posesiones) y variables bioarqueológicas (edad/sexo, estatura, paleopatologías) para contextualizar estudios de trauma ante/peri mortem, para entender la vida de los difuntos y la manera en que fueron tratados antes y al memento de su ejecución. De los 24 enterramientos de la fosa común, 23 (95,8%) mostraron traumas por armas de fuego, 7 (29,2%) mostraron traumas por objetos contundentes y 1 (4,2%) mostró trauma por un objeto afilado. Cinco individuos del grupo principal (20,8%) mostraron lesiones ya curadas, lo que indica asaltos, a menudo extensos, semanas antes de su ejecución; un individuo presentó 27 fracturas. Los patrones de las heridas de balas son consistentes con la formacion de un pelotón de fusilamiento, por lo tanto les dispararon en un rango de corto alcance, en la parte posterior de la cabeza. Está investigación apunta a dilucidar aspectos no registrados del dominio fascista en 1936-9, buscando extender las investigaciones de patrones y métodos de atrocidades globales, demostrando así el verdadero saldo de vidas humanas que tuvo la Guerra Civil Española, en especial para aquellos que buscan trivializarlo.

Paleopathology of the Ychsma: Evidence of respiratory disease during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000-1476) at the Central Coastal site of Pachacamac, Peru.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate evidence for maxillary sinusitis and pulmonary inflammation in archaeological skeletons dating to the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000-1476) at the site of Pachacamac, Peru. MATERIALS: Thirty-nine individuals (male, female, and unknown sex; 16+ years age-at-death) were analyzed for inflammatory periosteal reaction (IPR) on the visceral (inner) surfaces of the ribs, and 16 individuals were analyzed for evidence of maxillary sinusitis. METHODS: All individuals were macroscopically examined for bony changes in the maxillary sinuses and new bone formation on the ribs according to pre-established criteria. RESULTS: Some 33.3% (13/39) of individuals had IPR on the ribs and 93.8% (15/16) had bony changes in the maxillary sinuses. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory disease was likely prevalent in people buried at Pachacamac during the Late Intermediate Period. A number of factors may have increased the risk of developing respiratory disease, including exposure to poor air quality and increased crowding and social mixing, resulting from pilgrimage to this important ritual center. SIGNIFICANCE: This paper represents one of the first systematic analyses of evidence for respiratory disease in Peruvian and South American human skeletal remains, demonstrating the suitability of the region for further study. LIMITATIONS: A limited sample was available for analysis. Additionally, the site's skeletal preservation was excellent, meaning the sample available for assessment of maxillary sinusitis was smaller, being limited to individuals with post-mortem breakage. FURTHER RESEARCH: The results of this study should stimulate further much needed systematic investigation of evidence for respiratory disease in other Peruvian and South American populations.