A Santería/Palo Mayombe ritual cauldron containing a human skull and multiple artifacts recovered in western Massachusetts, U.S.A.

A Comparative Taphonomic Analysis of 24 Trophy Skulls from Modern Forensic Cases,

“…The taphonomic profile of trophy remains has the most in common with remains that also come from curational contexts, that is, those remains that have been kept in an artificial setting away from continued natural environmental effects, such as long‐term exposure in terrestrial surface environments or marine environments . The most common artificial settings for human remains that later undergo forensic anthropological examination are former cemetery remains , anatomical teaching specimens , and some instances of ritual remains, including Palo Mayombe . These sources of remains may overlap with each other, in that cemetery or anatomical teaching specimens may be repurposed into ritual or display use , so their taphonomic alterations may come from more than one environmental source.…”

“…Due to their generally good condition, trophy skulls have the potential to be mistaken for other cases such as cemetery remains of relatively recent origin , former anatomical teaching specimens , or remains from either of these sources that have been repurposed for ritual use, such as Palo Mayombe . Review of the historical literature and conclusions from previously reported case studies provides information as to the cause and interpretation of the observed taphonomic features common to trophy skulls, especially in reference to features resulting from the original acquisition and preparation of the remains.…”