Bioarqueologia de la Violencia: Traumatismos en Esqueletos Femeninos de El Palmillo, Oaxaca

From a bioarchaeological perspective, we examine the incidence of traumatic lesions present on skeletons of the inhabitants of the ancient city of El Palmillo, during the Classic period (AD 250-850). El Palmillo was a Zapotec settlement in the Valley of Oaxaca, located in the municipality of Santiago Matatlan. The study sample (n = 16) is composed of 10 females, 5 males, and 1 indeterminate individual. We compare the location of the traumatic lesions, the archaeological context, and the observed significant differences between the sexes. Based on the osteological evidence, we seek to explain why the female skeletons of this site present more facial traumas than do the male skeletons. The texts written about pre-Hispanic Zapotec populations are limited, as are archaeological studies focused on women, so a specific consideration of this sector of the population is important to establish a historical reference. The variation in the presence and location of traumatic lesions between mal...