The process of intentionally shaping the soft, still pliable skull of a new-born often comes in two distinct forms: either through the use of tightly wrapped cord or cloth to make the skull more conical, or alternatively with the use of wooden compression boards to make the skull broader. (More on this later)

Our earliest evidence of intentional deformation stretches 45,000 years into the past, with both Homo Sapien and Homo Neanderthal specimens showcasing alterations to the skulls of their newborns.

The earliest human examples of ACD were located in disparate areas of the globe, from the south-eastern reaches of Australia, and from deposits in Shanidar Cave, located in modern-day Iraq.

Historically, varying degrees of cranial deformation could be seen on all over the globe, now only a few indigenous populations still practise the tradition.
The Pacific island of Vanuatu being a notable example, and some remote regions of Africa.
Idris Elba’s character in Beasts of No Nation donned a sloped skull, giving his character a level of cultural depth.
(pic: Daily Mail).

Ethnic Distinctions Rather Than Symbols of Status

Contrary to what one may initially assume, the aesthetic modifications of the head throughout Meso and South America did not necessarily indicate status or increased wealth.

The modification of the skull was near ubiquitous throughout Mayan regions and southern portions of modern-day Mexico, with near 90% of Postclassic findings exhibiting degrees of modification and the Classic and Pre-Classic periods (1500BC-900AD) witnessing unprecedented levels of diversity in shape and form.

Diversity was later replaced by uniformity of head-shape later in the period, but throughout the zenith of the Mayan historical trajectory, it was utilised to create intricate distinctions between cultural sub-regions which adhered to varying linguistic and dialectical frameworks.

Vera Tiesler’s ground-breaking work in the late 90’s hypothesised the idea of distinct head shapes representing horizontal ethnic distinctions rather than vertical class distinctions, which has since been ratified by the scholarly consensus.

This idea is visually evident in Mayan iconography and Mayan figurines, in which the depictions of their heads differ considerably from that of Mexicans. Mayan characters are illustrated with sloping, conical shapes whereas Mexican’s are associated with short, broad head styles.

More conclusively, analysis of exhumed skulls from the Mayan capital, Palenque, illuminates the lack of distinguishment between elite and non-elite sectors, with the skull of Lord Janaab’Pakal being shaped the same fashion as near ninety-percent of the local population.

Once the idea of cultural and ethnic distinction had been established, scholars have since been able to accurately trace generational migratory patterns based on the changing skull shapes across the centuries.

History of Research

• 1839: George Morton publishes Crania Americana, creating formal classifications of head types. These were rooted in a racist Darwinian and Lamarckian rhetoric that ascribed a racial hierarchy to head shapes and sizes.

• 1851: Conical, elongated skulls first mentioned in ‘Peruvian Antiquities by Mariano Rivero and John James von Tschudi.

• Late 18th Century: European researchers such as Emile Magitot & Aleš Hrdlička create tentative craniometric frameworks

Cranial studies during the 19th and early 20th century were grossly euro-centric and weaponised by eugenic proponents.

• 1930s: Eric J. Dingwall contributed to the field in 1931 with his synthesis of over 1200 publications of anthropological and ethnological findings regarding ACD

• 1950s & 1960s: Spearheaded by the prolific Arturo Romano Pacheco, Pacheco organised a diverse range of different Mesoamerican head forms in alignment with regional cosmologies.

The two principal forms of head-deformation utilised throughout the region are known as tabula erect forms and tabular oblique forms.

Erect forms are created through the use hard compression devices, popularised the use of the iconic cradleboard, results in a short, broad head shape. The Mexican Olmec society which flourished in the early-Preclassic (1400BC-1000BC), widely considered to be the first important hierarchically administered society in the region, were synonymous with squared foreheads created through the use of cradleboard.

Oblique forms are produced through the application of constriction bandages or strings, or in some instances, simply the use of tightly fitting hats. Constricting bands create what is commonly believed to be the Mayan beauty standard: long sloping foreheads, and an arched occipital region located along the back of the head. This provided the foundational distinction between Maya and Mexica ethnic groups.

Evil Winds and the ‘Soul Essence’

Meso-American cultures utilised the practise as a rite of passage, a process which ensured good health and social acceptance; an important act likely performed by females to the infant. The process of shaping the child’s head as a form of socialisation is believed to have been a key cultural responsibility for both mothers and midwives.

The practise is also associated with the traditional assigning of gender and occupational roles at birth, as it is believed to ensoul the new-born. In Tzotzil Mayan culture, a child is only named after the process of hind-binding is complete. Many Mesoamerican cultures hold the body to be a social canvas, in which the process of socialisation is enacted.

Early creation myths describe man’s current incarnation to be made of the earth’s clay, and in this respect when we are born, we are still in our raw material form, yet to be shaped and sealed. The act of binding an infant’s head not only creates the child’s Mesoamerican identity but is also the final act in becoming human. The finishing touches to a yet unfinished, and still vulnerable, masterpiece.

Appease The Gods:

When Spanish conquistadores questioned the Maya on their head shape, they insisted the sloping shape appeased their god, who similarly possessed a conical skull. This has led many to conclude the existence of superior race of conical-skulled men who influenced their culture.
The answer likely originates in the Popol Vuh, which states human-beings were created by the gods with maize, as their head shape resembles an ear of corn, a crucial element of Maya culture.

The soul essence and its association with heat has drawn comparisons with the European notion of the ‘four humors’, in which the human body is associated with the four earthly elements of fire, water, air and earth. The soul essence and its association with heat has drawn comparisons with the European notion of the ‘four humors’, in which the human body is associated with the four earthly elements of fire, water, air and earth. However, whilst the concepts largely draw on similar principles, it is invariably a pre-Colombian Mesoamerican idea.

In the American conception, the source of maladies derive largely from the wind, which can have polarising connotations of both life-giving and soul-destroying. With the soul essence believed to reside in the top of the head, the unbound and unprotected infant cranium is at risk of losing his tonali, or ‘heat’.

When a child is born, the cranium is not entirely fused, allowing for the skull to grow as the brain develops; this leaves a central vertical seam along the skull in which Mesoamerican cultures deemed to be the point of entry for evil winds to erode an infants soul essence.

The cultural practises applied to counter this threat extended beyond the initial binding, with the Tzotzil Maya applying beeswax to the top of the head, or even salt and Yucatan cultures were known to blow on the top of the head to provide strength.