These Individuals Were Buried in Colombia Wearing ‘Death Masks.’ Researchers Just Digitally Removed the Skull Coverings to Reveal Their Faces for the First Time
See the portraits of a 6- or 7-year-old child, a woman in her 60s, and two young men who were buried in Colombia between the 13th and 18th centuries
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At some point between the 13th and 18th centuries, four Indigenous individuals in South America died and were buried with “death masks” covering their faces. Now, centuries later, researchers have digitally unmasked the skulls to create realistic renderings of what their owners might have looked like.
The individuals lived in the Eastern Cordillera, a region in the Andes in Colombia, between 1216 and 1797, reports Live Science’s Sophie Berdugo. The group includes a 6- or 7-year-old child, a woman in her 60s, and two young men. They were all buried wearing masks fashioned from wax, resin, clay and maize, with decorative beads outlining the eyes.
Though the masks have endured damage over the years, they still represent “extraordinary workmanship,” says Felipe Cárdenas-Arroyo, an archaeologist with the Colombian Academy of History who worked on the project, in a statement. And, so far, they are the only known examples in Colombia.
The individuals’ graves were looted, so archaeologists don’t have a lot of information about them. At some point, the mummified bodies ended up at the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, where they remain today.
To create the facial reconstructions, researchers at the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University in England first captured computed tomography (CT) scans of the masked skulls. A CT scan takes numerous, detailed 2D X-ray images from various angles, then pieces them together to create a 3D model. This technique allowed the researchers to digitally remove the layers that depict the death masks, giving them an unobstructed view of the skulls.
Once the skulls were digitally unmasked, the team used a haptic touch stylus pen and software to add soft tissue—like muscle and fat—to the faces. For the two young men, they used the average facial tissue depth of modern adult Colombian men. However, because the same data does not exist for Colombian women and children, they had to make educated guesses about how much muscle and fat to add for those reconstructions.
From there, the team put the finishing touches on the images. They chose darker skin and eye and hair colors typical of individuals living in Colombia, then added textural elements like freckles, wrinkles, eyelashes and pores, per Live Science.
Though the digital portraits are incredibly lifelike, the researchers are quick to point out that they are simply scholarly interpretations of what the individuals might have looked like, not definitive likenesses.
“Texture is always the biggest challenge, just because we simply don’t know how they would present themselves, whether or not they have any facial scarring or tattoos, or if that actually is the skin tone,” Jessica Liu, project manager for the Face Lab, tells Live Science. “What we present in terms of texture is an average representation, based on what we know of these individuals.”
The researchers unveiled the faces for the first time at the World Congress on Mummy Studies in Peru in August. Looking ahead, they hope the project “increases interest in these incredible civilizations,” says Liu in the statement.
Did you know? Richard III
Richard III was the last Yorkist king of England, ruling from 1483 to 1485. He was killed in battle against Henry VII, and his remains were only rediscovered in 2012.The Colombian mummy reconstructions are just the latest examples of the Face Lab’s work. According to the group’s website, Face Lab has contributed to more than 60 historical and archaeological projects since 2014, producing a total of 100-plus facial depictions. The team has created a digital avatar of England’s Richard III, which speaks with a Yorkshire accent, and made digital portraits of famous historical figures like the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and Nicholas, the saint who became known as Santa Claus.
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