Excavation for marine aquarium yields ‘ancient’ human bones
09/04/2007
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -– Close to 50 skeletal remains believed to be at least 100 years old have been dug up since May from an excavation site inside the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) here.
Professor Florinda Garcia said the skulls and skeletal parts are of varied sizes.
Based on initial observations, she said the skeletal remains are probably of American and Filipino soldiers, but she added they would still need experts to analyze and identify the remains.
Last May, ZSCMST started a P20-Million marine aquarium project that prompted the digging inside the school.
"Since then, we kept on discovering more skulls and bones. Some were with complete frames, while others just [partial] bones," Ric Murillo, the project engineer, said.
Murillo also noted that the bones were quite porous and powdery, indicating that these may have been buried about a hundred years or more.
"There are big skulls and medium skulls. We believe the big skulls are of the foreigners because the skeletal frames were also large," he said.Garcia told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the excavation is just a few meters away from the Fort Pilar shrine, leading him to surmise that the bones may be of Spanish soldiers. "If you check our old maps, Fort Pilar used to be a military garrison of the Spaniards and beside it was a marshy, mangrove area," she said.But Garcia said with the absence of detailed records, there was no way to recount history "or what really transpired during the Spanish era or even the Japanese era, so we can also presume that remains may belong to Spaniards."
Garcia said some of the bones had worn out leather belts that "indicate some were soldiers."
The fort which was built in 1635 was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 after Spanish troops abandoned it to concentrate in Manila and provide support to their troops fighting Chinese pirates led then by Kui Seng or Co Seng.
09/04/2007
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -– Close to 50 skeletal remains believed to be at least 100 years old have been dug up since May from an excavation site inside the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) here.
Professor Florinda Garcia said the skulls and skeletal parts are of varied sizes.
Based on initial observations, she said the skeletal remains are probably of American and Filipino soldiers, but she added they would still need experts to analyze and identify the remains.
Last May, ZSCMST started a P20-Million marine aquarium project that prompted the digging inside the school.
"Since then, we kept on discovering more skulls and bones. Some were with complete frames, while others just [partial] bones," Ric Murillo, the project engineer, said.
Murillo also noted that the bones were quite porous and powdery, indicating that these may have been buried about a hundred years or more.
"There are big skulls and medium skulls. We believe the big skulls are of the foreigners because the skeletal frames were also large," he said.Garcia told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the excavation is just a few meters away from the Fort Pilar shrine, leading him to surmise that the bones may be of Spanish soldiers. "If you check our old maps, Fort Pilar used to be a military garrison of the Spaniards and beside it was a marshy, mangrove area," she said.But Garcia said with the absence of detailed records, there was no way to recount history "or what really transpired during the Spanish era or even the Japanese era, so we can also presume that remains may belong to Spaniards."
Garcia said some of the bones had worn out leather belts that "indicate some were soldiers."
The fort which was built in 1635 was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 after Spanish troops abandoned it to concentrate in Manila and provide support to their troops fighting Chinese pirates led then by Kui Seng or Co Seng.
In 1669, Jesuit priests reconstructed the fort, but pirates tried to destroy it.It was again rebuilt by Juan Sicarra in 1719, and renamed "Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragosa" when one of the guards saw an apparition of Senora La Virgen del Pilar (Virgin Mary).
Garcia said they were planning to give a proper burial for the skeletal remains, "but we want to find out any plans from the local government."
Original article (here)
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