During research on a New Mexico Paranormal Series Witches of Madrid, I came
across an article in Harvard Magazine about the reburial of the Pecos
skeletons and their journey home. These were the bones which resulted in
landmark studies of osteoporosis. The skeletal remains of
these extinct people were used to prove that exercise strengthens aging
bones. The scientific study of the Pecos Bones also made strides in nutrition
research, head injuries, trauma, dental cavities, and other diseases. The
archaeological dig revolutionized a new system, the Pecos Chronology, for
stratigraphically dating sites throughout the American Southwest. The Bones
became the foundation of scientific knowledge about the earliest cultures of
the Southwest. The Pecos dig was
the beginning of American Archaeology.
But I was moved by the personal journey of these bones, who
had once lived and breathed. I became curious about the Pecos Indians. I
visited the ruins and imagined the story of Return of
the Bones. I felt as if the ghosts of Pecos were begging me to bring
their pueblo to life between the pages of a book, so they would not be
forgotten. I did a lot of research on the Pecos Indians and their Spanish
conquerors to make the book as historically accurate as possible.
My story takes place in 1998, which is when the bones were
reburied at Pecos.
I also, researched the Native American Graves and
Repatriation Act and discovered that there are many, many Native American
skeletons still waiting to go home.
How would you feel if your family skeletons were dug up and
transported across the country for science experiments? What if your
ancestors had been attacked by the United States Army and their heads cut off
and shipped to the Surgeon General, who then paid the soldiers a hefty fee
for the skulls? Some of my best friends are Native Americans.
Native Americans believe that if the remains are moved from
the place of burial, that person will never find rest.
Here is what the Pecos
Pueblo originally looked like when the Spanish conquistadors arrived. And here is a picture of
an Indian maiden.
