Bioanthropological study of a historic ossuary associated with a warfare context from the 19th century in the city of Paysand, Uruguay

The "Perpetuity Monument" ossuary located in the city of Paysandu, Uru- guay, received during its history the deceased of both the general popula-tion and combatants of the war event known as the "Defense of Paysandu" (1864). This place functioned as a public cemetery between 1851 and 1881, and the ossuary was built in 1854. In order to contribute to historical, cul-tural and patrimonial knowledge, this project aimed at characterizing the remains of the ossuary, and to establish a possible relationship between the collective imagination that suggests that the remains of the combat-ants were deposited there, and the results obtained. A total of 13 skulls and associated remains were recovered and studied through bioanthro-pological methods, establishing gender, age and ancestry, and observing possible indicators of violence. Additionally, in order to expand the in-formation on ancestry, mitochondrial DNA was extracted and analyzed from six skulls. The final sample was made up of 13 adult individuals: 9 male, 3 female, and 1 of undetermined gender, and typical characteristics of crossbred population. In relation to possible indicators of violence, it was observed that indicators are present in 5 individuals in the sample. The results are consistent with what was expected: high percentage of male individuals with signs of violence, probably associated with the de-fense of Paysandu.