3 Bodies Found During Alamo Renovations

Excavation work has been halted
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 16, 2019 3:15 AM CST
3 Bodies Found During Alamo Renovations
John Potter, a member of the San Antonio Living History Association, patrols the Alamo in San Antonio, during a pre-dawn memorial ceremony to remember the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and those who fell on both sides.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Archaeologists have discovered three apparently long-forgotten bodies during a pre-renovation exploration of the Alamo, authorities say. Excavation work was halted and a tribal monitor was notified after the human remains were found in the Monks Burial Room and nave of the Alamo Church, NBC reports. "The remains encountered appear to be indicative of a teenage or young adult, infant, and large adult," the Texas General Land Office said in a news release. Land Office spokeswoman Karina Erickson says the adult and infant were apparently purposely buried but it's not clear whether the same is true of the young adult, whose body was found separately, USA Today reports.

Erickson says none of the remains have been removed. The remains were found during work to install moisture monitoring equipment in the 300-year-old structure. The Alamo Mission Archaeological Committee says it was "promptly notified following the discovery of the remains and has been fully briefed." "It is important for all applicable laws to be followed and the Alamo project team is doing just that," the committee says. The Land Office, which is overseeing the $450 million renovation of the revered San Antonio landmark, says remains were also found in 1989 and 1995, and a plaque was placed inside in 1937 "indicating the reinternment of remains." Around 200 people were killed in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, but historians believe most of the bodies were burned, NBC notes. (More The Alamo stories.)

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