MESOAMERICAN EVIDENCE OF PRE-COLUMBIAN TRANSOCEANIC CONTACTS
Romeo Hristov a1andSantiago Genovés a2 a1 Department of Anthropology, Southern
Methodist University, P.O. Box 750336, Dallas, TX
75275-0336, USA a2 Instituto de Investigaciones
Antropológicas-UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria 04510,
México DF, Mexico
Abstract
In this article we discuss the results of the re-examination
of a terracotta head of supposed Roman origin found in
a pre-Hispanic burial offering near Mexico City. A thermoluminescent
age test performed in 1995 at the Forschungsstelle Archäometrie
in Heidelberg, Germany, set the age limits of the artifact
at 1780 ± 400 B.P., which is consistent with the
Roman-origin hypothesis. A review of the circumstances
of this discovery did not demonstrate any sign of possible
post-Columbian intrusion and permits the acceptance of
the object as the first hard evidence from Mesoamerica
to support pre-Hispanic transoceanic contacts between the
Old and New Worlds.
