August 15, 2025 • 14 mins
In 1999 workers digging a ditch found strange skeletons & unusual artifacts. Were they extraterrestrial?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Viitto.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome and we vian beneathos to episode number two three
of Mexico Unexplained, where we examined the magic, the mysteries
and the miracles of Mexico. I'm your host, Robert Biddo.
On the road from Hermosio to Chihuahua, just across the
Rio Yaqui and right outside the small town of Onavas
(01:17):
in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Sonora,
several men were digging a ditch. One of the workers
found a skeleton with a strangely formed skull, along with
ornaments and other artifacts that were most unusual. Before proceeding
with the construction of this irrigation canal, a member of
(01:38):
the work crew contacted the authorities. The year was nineteen
ninety nine. The local office of the National Institute of
anthropology and history, known by the Spanish abbreviation inah or Ina,
came to the location and shut down the irrigation project.
The locals back filled the and abandoned their plans for
(02:02):
bringing much needed water to local farms. Some of the
details of what appeared to be an old burial ground
were kept secret for fear of looters and curiosity seekers
disturbing the site. Ina kept a tight lid on the
location until over a decade later, when formal excavation began
(02:22):
at the site, which was informally known as the Onabas Cemetery.
The modern town of Onabas dates back almost four hundred
years to the year sixteen twenty two. The Jesuits established
the mission of San Agnacio de Loyola there, which still
stands in the center of Onabas. An old statue of
(02:42):
San Ignacio greets visitors to the town to this day.
The two priests in charge of the small mission were
Diego van Dersipe from Ghent, Belgium, and a Spanish Jesuit
named Blas de Parerees, who hailed from Toledo. The area
around the mission was called Ona Boas by the locals.
(03:03):
In the Mayo and Yaqui languages. This translates to bitter water,
and the place was so named for the slightly salty
taste to the groundwater in the area. The native name
Ona Boas became corrupted to Onabas within a few decades
of the arrival of the Spanish. The town never grew
(03:25):
to be any notable size and has always been populated
by just a few hundred people, even through to the
twenty first century. Four hundred years ago, the Yaqui had
small farming villages along the river that bears their name,
and the area around Onavas produced corn, squash, and beans.
(03:45):
The villages, for the most part, peacefully coexisted in a
loose confederation or associated status. Local Yaqui lore tells of
a powerful, wealthy and warlike people called the Tomichi who
once inhabited the area around Onabas before the Yakis lived
in the river valley. Archaeologists believe that the Tomichi were
(04:09):
a Pima people closely related to, if not the direct ancestors,
of the Tohono o Odham. The present day homeland of
the Tohono o Odam straddles the US Mexico border, where
Arizona and Sonora meet. Almost five hundred miles north of
the town of Onabas. Some are quick to point out
(04:30):
that this is all just a guess and the real
identity of the mysterious Tomichi people of Yaki legend has
nothing to do with the ancient Pimas or the modern
day Toono o Odam tribe. Formal digging at the site
outside Onabas, called El Sementio, began in late twenty twelve,
(04:51):
over thirteen years after the burials were first discovered by
the workers digging the irrigation canal. Under the watchful life
of the the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History.
An excavation led by Christina Garcia Moreno from Arizona State
University uncovered twenty five sets of remains during the first
(05:13):
archaeological season. Seventeen of these individuals were miners between five
months and sixteen years old, and eight were adults. Thirteen
of the skeletons had bizarre looking, severely deformed, elongated skulls.
Five of the skeletons had what looked like, upon first inspection,
(05:35):
dental mutilations, with their teeth sharpened to points. Only one
of the skeletons was that of a female. When photos
of these strange skeletons made it to the Internet, many
interesting theories popped up as to the possible origins of
the people or beings buried at Onabas. The Internet being
(05:57):
what it is, had armchair researchers proposing many different things.
Were these skeletons alien in origin and was one of
Us the site of an ancient interstellar base? Were these
people refugees from South America, where skull elongation was common.
Did the skeletons belong to a different type of human,
(06:19):
an offshoot of Homo sapiens. Were these people alien human hybrids?
Did they perhaps have a mix of DNA from regular
humans combined with that of the nefarious grays the big headed,
almond eyed creatures from Zeta reticuli. Serious investigation of the
(06:39):
on of Us site ended in April of twenty thirteen,
thus answering some of these questions, but at the same
time leaving many others unanswered. Bone samples were taken to
a lab in Eermocio for analysis while archaeologists pieced together
what life might have been like for the mysterious people
(07:00):
found at the One of Us site. To researchers directly
working on the project, One of Us was most likely
the place of an elite burial. The artifacts found with
the skeletons, and perhaps the deformation of the skeletons themselves,
indicated high status. Alongside the strange skeletons, archaeologists found shells
(07:23):
from the Sea of Cortes, pottery from central Mexico, and
turquoise from what is now the American Southwest. While some
remains were laid to rest fully adorned in jewelry that
would have only belonged to members of the upper classes,
other remains had absolutely nothing associated with them. When Carbon
(07:44):
fourteen results came back indicating that the mysterious people lived
sometime between nine hundred and twelve hundred AD, researchers with
Asu and Ena theorized that these people were ancient Pima
people who were part of a wealthy trading class that
must have controlled important trade routes where they crossed the
(08:05):
Yaqui River. The elongated skulls and deformed teeth were extremely puzzling, though,
because these practices were never found this far north in Mexico,
One of Us is not considered to be located in
Mesoamerica culturally or geographically, it's too far north. It's closer
to the US Mexico border than it is to the
(08:27):
Maya area. For example, the drastically deformed skulls and pointy
teeth were anomalies for the region. Intentional cranial deformation has
been reported in the archaeological record from as far back
as the Upper Paleolithic and has occurred across many geographical
areas and cultures in Mexico. The Maya elites practiced the
(08:51):
reshaping of the head as a mark of beauty and
high social status. Many Maya rulers are depicted on monuments
and in art as having slanted foreheads peaking to almost
a cone. It's almost a characteristic and unmistakable Maya look.
The reshaping process starts at almost the time of birth,
(09:13):
with splints placed on the front and back of the head,
wrapped in bandages until the head attains the desired shape.
The boarding and wrapping can last several years, but usually
doesn't go beyond early childhood. The researchers at the Onabus
site noted that the children with the cranial deformations in
(09:34):
the burials had no indications of disease or accident. For
cause of death, Perhaps they died, the scholars believe, because
of cranial deformation procedures that had gone wrong. This would
make sense in this context if this sort of practice
was unheard of for this time and place. Perhaps the
(09:56):
elites of ancient Onabus were trying to copy their more
advanced neighbors far to the south, and not being so
experienced in this custom, did not know how to carry
out the remolding of the heads properly so as not
to cause serious injury. The result was disastrous for these children,
(10:17):
who were obviously part of the upper class. No other
elongated skulls have ever been found even close to this area,
which indicates that this practice was a passing fad. Perhaps
some traders or even elite visitors from central or southern
Mexico traveled to the once flourishing one of Us trading area,
(10:39):
and that sparked the locals attempts to copy this particular custom.
The same could be said about the dental mutilations. These
skulls were not of aliens with sharp teeth, but were
rather local rulers who wanted to be more like the
kings and queens of the more complex and wealthier civilizations.
(11:00):
Many hundreds of miles away. As news of the Onabas
site spread, the chief archaeologist at the site, Christina Garcia Moreno,
found herself in the middle of the many theories swirling
around regarding ancient astronauts and alien human hybrids. Garcia Moreno
(11:20):
made this statement to the press in December of twenty twelve. Quote.
Cranial deformation has been used by different societies in the
world as a ritual practice, or for distinction of status
within a group, or to distinguish between social groups. The
reason why these individuals at El Sementio to form their
(11:43):
skulls is still unknown. The most common comment I've read
from people that see the pictures of cranial deformation has
been that they think that those people were aliens. I
could say that some say that as a joke, but
the interesting thing is that some do think so. Obviously,
(12:03):
we are talking about human beings, not of aliens. When
the research lab at Ermosio confirmed that the DNA of
the skeletons was one hundred percent human, the door was
not closed on an otherworldly connection to this strange site.
Those who do not wish to give up on a
(12:24):
link to aliens have claimed that the people buried at
the Onabas site were copying extraterrestrial visitors rather than elites
from other parts of ancient Mexico. The classic shape of
the head seems unmistakably not of this earth. Could they
have been copying people or beings who had traveled a
(12:45):
farther distance than the Maya. There are no massive monuments
or other indications of a yet unknown, highly advanced civilization
found in the area, unless the early Jesuit fathers carted
off any thing of serious archaeological interests centuries ago. The
wealthy local trading elite theory seems to fit this situation.
(13:09):
The people found at One of Us probably became incredibly
rich off of long distance trade that traversed their area,
and were not part of any larger complex civilization per se.
Perhaps these skeletons belonged to the legendary Tomici people, who
the Yaki claimed were there before they came to the
(13:30):
Yaqui River valley. The fact that less than thirty individuals
were discovered at One of Us, with very little else
found in the region's archaeological record, makes this unusual pre
Hispanic cemetery even more mysterious. Thank you once again, for
listening to another episode of Mexican Explained. Remember to like
(13:53):
and subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.
Tell your friends by sharing these shows with others. Please
go to our website Mexico on explain dot com for references, illustrations,
and for free access to transcripts of past shows. Please
visit Amazon dot com to purchase the books Mexico on
Explained in Mexican Monsters to get hard copies of the magic,
(14:15):
the Mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. We appreciate your
kind attention. Once again, until next time, Thank you, angracias.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Thank you for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary.
Please check out our website at mexicouanexplained dot com, Like
us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addie on sant haste la Vista
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Viitto.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome and we vian beneathos to episode number two three
of Mexico Unexplained, where we examined the magic, the mysteries
and the miracles of Mexico. I'm your host, Robert Biddo.
On the road from Hermosio to Chihuahua, just across the
Rio Yaqui and right outside the small town of Onavas
(01:17):
in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Sonora,
several men were digging a ditch. One of the workers
found a skeleton with a strangely formed skull, along with
ornaments and other artifacts that were most unusual. Before proceeding
with the construction of this irrigation canal, a member of
(01:38):
the work crew contacted the authorities. The year was nineteen
ninety nine. The local office of the National Institute of
anthropology and history, known by the Spanish abbreviation inah or Ina,
came to the location and shut down the irrigation project.
The locals back filled the and abandoned their plans for
(02:02):
bringing much needed water to local farms. Some of the
details of what appeared to be an old burial ground
were kept secret for fear of looters and curiosity seekers
disturbing the site. Ina kept a tight lid on the
location until over a decade later, when formal excavation began
(02:22):
at the site, which was informally known as the Onabas Cemetery.
The modern town of Onabas dates back almost four hundred
years to the year sixteen twenty two. The Jesuits established
the mission of San Agnacio de Loyola there, which still
stands in the center of Onabas. An old statue of
(02:42):
San Ignacio greets visitors to the town to this day.
The two priests in charge of the small mission were
Diego van Dersipe from Ghent, Belgium, and a Spanish Jesuit
named Blas de Parerees, who hailed from Toledo. The area
around the mission was called Ona Boas by the locals.
(03:03):
In the Mayo and Yaqui languages. This translates to bitter water,
and the place was so named for the slightly salty
taste to the groundwater in the area. The native name
Ona Boas became corrupted to Onabas within a few decades
of the arrival of the Spanish. The town never grew
(03:25):
to be any notable size and has always been populated
by just a few hundred people, even through to the
twenty first century. Four hundred years ago, the Yaqui had
small farming villages along the river that bears their name,
and the area around Onavas produced corn, squash, and beans.
(03:45):
The villages, for the most part, peacefully coexisted in a
loose confederation or associated status. Local Yaqui lore tells of
a powerful, wealthy and warlike people called the Tomichi who
once inhabited the area around Onabas before the Yakis lived
in the river valley. Archaeologists believe that the Tomichi were
(04:09):
a Pima people closely related to, if not the direct ancestors,
of the Tohono o Odham. The present day homeland of
the Tohono o Odam straddles the US Mexico border, where
Arizona and Sonora meet. Almost five hundred miles north of
the town of Onabas. Some are quick to point out
(04:30):
that this is all just a guess and the real
identity of the mysterious Tomichi people of Yaki legend has
nothing to do with the ancient Pimas or the modern
day Toono o Odam tribe. Formal digging at the site
outside Onabas, called El Sementio, began in late twenty twelve,
(04:51):
over thirteen years after the burials were first discovered by
the workers digging the irrigation canal. Under the watchful life
of the the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History.
An excavation led by Christina Garcia Moreno from Arizona State
University uncovered twenty five sets of remains during the first
(05:13):
archaeological season. Seventeen of these individuals were miners between five
months and sixteen years old, and eight were adults. Thirteen
of the skeletons had bizarre looking, severely deformed, elongated skulls.
Five of the skeletons had what looked like, upon first inspection,
(05:35):
dental mutilations, with their teeth sharpened to points. Only one
of the skeletons was that of a female. When photos
of these strange skeletons made it to the Internet, many
interesting theories popped up as to the possible origins of
the people or beings buried at Onabas. The Internet being
(05:57):
what it is, had armchair researchers proposing many different things.
Were these skeletons alien in origin and was one of
Us the site of an ancient interstellar base? Were these
people refugees from South America, where skull elongation was common.
Did the skeletons belong to a different type of human,
(06:19):
an offshoot of Homo sapiens. Were these people alien human hybrids?
Did they perhaps have a mix of DNA from regular
humans combined with that of the nefarious grays the big headed,
almond eyed creatures from Zeta reticuli. Serious investigation of the
(06:39):
on of Us site ended in April of twenty thirteen,
thus answering some of these questions, but at the same
time leaving many others unanswered. Bone samples were taken to
a lab in Eermocio for analysis while archaeologists pieced together
what life might have been like for the mysterious people
(07:00):
found at the One of Us site. To researchers directly
working on the project, One of Us was most likely
the place of an elite burial. The artifacts found with
the skeletons, and perhaps the deformation of the skeletons themselves,
indicated high status. Alongside the strange skeletons, archaeologists found shells
(07:23):
from the Sea of Cortes, pottery from central Mexico, and
turquoise from what is now the American Southwest. While some
remains were laid to rest fully adorned in jewelry that
would have only belonged to members of the upper classes,
other remains had absolutely nothing associated with them. When Carbon
(07:44):
fourteen results came back indicating that the mysterious people lived
sometime between nine hundred and twelve hundred AD, researchers with
Asu and Ena theorized that these people were ancient Pima
people who were part of a wealthy trading class that
must have controlled important trade routes where they crossed the
(08:05):
Yaqui River. The elongated skulls and deformed teeth were extremely puzzling, though,
because these practices were never found this far north in Mexico,
One of Us is not considered to be located in
Mesoamerica culturally or geographically, it's too far north. It's closer
to the US Mexico border than it is to the
(08:27):
Maya area. For example, the drastically deformed skulls and pointy
teeth were anomalies for the region. Intentional cranial deformation has
been reported in the archaeological record from as far back
as the Upper Paleolithic and has occurred across many geographical
areas and cultures in Mexico. The Maya elites practiced the
(08:51):
reshaping of the head as a mark of beauty and
high social status. Many Maya rulers are depicted on monuments
and in art as having slanted foreheads peaking to almost
a cone. It's almost a characteristic and unmistakable Maya look.
The reshaping process starts at almost the time of birth,
(09:13):
with splints placed on the front and back of the head,
wrapped in bandages until the head attains the desired shape.
The boarding and wrapping can last several years, but usually
doesn't go beyond early childhood. The researchers at the Onabus
site noted that the children with the cranial deformations in
(09:34):
the burials had no indications of disease or accident. For
cause of death, Perhaps they died, the scholars believe, because
of cranial deformation procedures that had gone wrong. This would
make sense in this context if this sort of practice
was unheard of for this time and place. Perhaps the
(09:56):
elites of ancient Onabus were trying to copy their more
advanced neighbors far to the south, and not being so
experienced in this custom, did not know how to carry
out the remolding of the heads properly so as not
to cause serious injury. The result was disastrous for these children,
(10:17):
who were obviously part of the upper class. No other
elongated skulls have ever been found even close to this area,
which indicates that this practice was a passing fad. Perhaps
some traders or even elite visitors from central or southern
Mexico traveled to the once flourishing one of Us trading area,
(10:39):
and that sparked the locals attempts to copy this particular custom.
The same could be said about the dental mutilations. These
skulls were not of aliens with sharp teeth, but were
rather local rulers who wanted to be more like the
kings and queens of the more complex and wealthier civilizations.
(11:00):
Many hundreds of miles away. As news of the Onabas
site spread, the chief archaeologist at the site, Christina Garcia Moreno,
found herself in the middle of the many theories swirling
around regarding ancient astronauts and alien human hybrids. Garcia Moreno
(11:20):
made this statement to the press in December of twenty twelve. Quote.
Cranial deformation has been used by different societies in the
world as a ritual practice, or for distinction of status
within a group, or to distinguish between social groups. The
reason why these individuals at El Sementio to form their
(11:43):
skulls is still unknown. The most common comment I've read
from people that see the pictures of cranial deformation has
been that they think that those people were aliens. I
could say that some say that as a joke, but
the interesting thing is that some do think so. Obviously,
(12:03):
we are talking about human beings, not of aliens. When
the research lab at Ermosio confirmed that the DNA of
the skeletons was one hundred percent human, the door was
not closed on an otherworldly connection to this strange site.
Those who do not wish to give up on a
(12:24):
link to aliens have claimed that the people buried at
the Onabas site were copying extraterrestrial visitors rather than elites
from other parts of ancient Mexico. The classic shape of
the head seems unmistakably not of this earth. Could they
have been copying people or beings who had traveled a
(12:45):
farther distance than the Maya. There are no massive monuments
or other indications of a yet unknown, highly advanced civilization
found in the area, unless the early Jesuit fathers carted
off any thing of serious archaeological interests centuries ago. The
wealthy local trading elite theory seems to fit this situation.
(13:09):
The people found at One of Us probably became incredibly
rich off of long distance trade that traversed their area,
and were not part of any larger complex civilization per se.
Perhaps these skeletons belonged to the legendary Tomici people, who
the Yaki claimed were there before they came to the
(13:30):
Yaqui River valley. The fact that less than thirty individuals
were discovered at One of Us, with very little else
found in the region's archaeological record, makes this unusual pre
Hispanic cemetery even more mysterious. Thank you once again, for
listening to another episode of Mexican Explained. Remember to like
(13:53):
and subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.
Tell your friends by sharing these shows with others. Please
go to our website Mexico on explain dot com for references, illustrations,
and for free access to transcripts of past shows. Please
visit Amazon dot com to purchase the books Mexico on
Explained in Mexican Monsters to get hard copies of the magic,
(14:15):
the Mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. We appreciate your
kind attention. Once again, until next time, Thank you, angracias.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Thank you for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary.
Please check out our website at mexicouanexplained dot com, Like
us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addie on sant haste la Vista
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