Burials in walls of church crypt in Mexico went unopened for years — until now. See it
Underneath a church in Mexico sat dozens of burials carved into the walls a century ago and sealed up — until some students arrived. Photos show what they found inside.
A team of archaeology students spent a week learning from professionals before heading into the crypt of the Parish of San Bartolomé Apóstol in Hueypoxtla, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a Dec. 26 news release.
Students planned to open a few of the crypt’s 72 burials and study whatever they found inside, the institute said. Their excavation, which lasted several days in November, was part of an ongoing program to train student archaeologists while learning more about the remains inside the crypt.
In the narrow underground passageways, students carefully removed the lids of three unopened burial niches. The graves dated back between the 18th century to early 19th century.
Inside two of the graves, dubbed C1 and H1, were the skeletons of adult men, the institute said. The remains were stretched out on their backs with their hands on their stomach. A photo shows one of these century-old burials.
The third grave, labeled M1, had the remains of a 5-year-old child, the institute said. Students also found some metallic funeral adornments and a preserved garment in the grave. A photo shows the grave.
Archaeologists described the crypt of the Parish of San Bartolomé Apóstol as peculiar due to its numerous passageways and burials in the walls. Such crypts were historically common in Europe but not in central Mexico.
A photo shows one of these burial niches with the lid, or sealing wall, removed.
Archaeologists plan to return to the crypt in Hueypoxtla with more students in the future.
Hueypoxtla is a town in central Mexico and a roughly 40-mile drive north from Mexico City.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Burials in walls of church crypt in Mexico went unopened for years — until now. See it."
