The Peruvian Stigmas

Stigma:  noun, plural stigmata [stig-muh-tuh, stig-mah-tuh, -mat-uh]

1. A mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.

 

2. (Medicine/Medical) A mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defect or disease.

 

 

 

During a 1984 excavation in the remote, outlying areas of the Madre de Dios region of Cusco, Peru, archaeologists discovered a shallow, unmarked tomb located in an area away from the general cohabitation region of what was to be believed the uncontacted Maschco-Piro tribe.

 

This grave area contained two skeletal remains, both of which showed signs of significant cranial abnormality. The two cranial specimens, as documented below, displayed large amounts of calcified growth and structural deformity.

 

Both specimens were also wrapped in loincloths in a way which suggests that both were ostracized from the tribe, most likely due to the deformities displayed in each.

 

 

 

Cranium Specimen Number 1

Cat. 103.01.x hghbry

 

Specimen displays large deposits of calcium nodes, predominantly in the frontal lobe area. Also present is a large structural piercing located above the right occular socket. Piercing appears to be inflicted from a sharp object, approximately one half-inch in diameter. Fabric material has been wrapped around the circumference of the cranium and has been bound vertically with a jute rope. A secondary rope has been wrapped diagonally across the right occular area.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Cranium Specimen Number 2

Cat. 104.02.x hghbry

 

Specimen displays large deposits of calcium nodes, predominantly in the frontal and rear cranial areas. Also present is a large area of smoothing across the top of the cranium. Fabric material has been wrapped around the occular sockets and has been bound with a jute rope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Here are the first two new foam cast skulls for 2015. I picked up right where I left off last year, when I showed the Six Skulls of Osteopetrosis, and I'm trying to refine the process with each casting. This is still a loose process, but I really like the way each skull comes out of the mold. Some dry, some still wet (which then gets exposed to the air and expands further to create the "Calcium deposits" that I describe above), some complete, some fragmented. I'm going to keep going with this process, as I think it gives each skull its own unique look and gives me the chance to write a quick back story about each one. Be sure to check out my post on the Six Skulls of Osteopetrosis, as I give a full how-to on my skull making process.