Archeologists have uncovered the remains of US soldiers probably killed in an 1846 Mexican-US War battle, some with bullet wounds and with many of their bones intact.
Found at a construction site and encrusted in the desert soil in Monterrey near the Texan border, the 10 sets of skeletal remains were discovered with buttons from uniforms, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology said.
The institute’s archeologist leading the excavation, Araceli Rivera, said the height of the skeletons, ranging from 1.7m to 1.75m, meant they were US soldiers, who were taller than Mexicans then.
“They don’t coincide with the average height of Mexicans from that period,” the institute said.
The archeologists discovered the remains between January and last month. In other excavations since 1995 they have found another 10 skeletons, as well as half-dollar silver coins and bullets.
In the most recent discovery, photos show an entire skeleton with its arms partially folded emerging from the dirt, while its mouth has an almost complete set of teeth.
Some bones have light green stains after long contact with metal, probably the bullets that killed the servicemen.
“All the soldiers died in combat,” Rivera said.
US forces under the command of General Zachary Taylor took Monterrey on Sept. 23, 1846, after several days of fighting, an important victory in the war of 1846-1848. The conflict was sparked by the US’ annexation of Texas in 1845, which Mexico considered its own.
Mexico eventually lost the war and ceded almost half of its territory to the US — including claims on Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and parts of Colorado — in a humiliation that still stings some Mexicans today.
According to US Army historians, 367 Mexican soldiers and 120 US troops were killed in the Battle of Monterrey.
The Mexican anthropology institute believes bodies of Mexican soldiers were quickly claimed by families and buried in cemeteries across the city.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in