An Analysis of Pre-Columbian Modified Human Bone Artifacts From the Western Gulf Coastal Plain of North America

This report offers a reanalysis of modified human bones discovered at several prehistoric archeological sites in South Texas. Twenty-nine human bone artifacts from multiple Late Prehistoric (ad 700–1500) sites were studied. The artifacts were classified (when possible) by age, bone element, and location. Analysis reveals that bones were cut with a groove-and-snap technique. Ample postmortem cutmarks were found associated with the groove-and-snap method. Several bones display signs of perimortem processing, defleshing, and reduction. One humerus had been fashioned into an omichicahuaztli or musical rasp. Explanations for these artifacts are offered, including ancestor worship, war trophies, or evidence of knowledge of Postclassic Mesoamerican cultural practices.