Two Dimensional Craniofacial Forensic Reconstruction- Isla San Lucas, Costa Rica MSU Undergraduate Research Conference Poster

“To find oneself is to find our humanity”
 Deredia y Amoretti, 2013 UNESCO World Heritage Nomination!

Faye Olsgard
 Anthropology/Museum Studies" Metropolitan State University of Denver
 Dr. C. Gaither, Dr. D. Hill"

ABSTRACT San Lucas Island was the location for the most notorious prison institution in Costa Rican history. Since 1873, the prison known as the “Alcatraz” of " central America operated under brutal conditions until " It closed in 1991. 
 Various excavations on the island were conducted by the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica archaeologists including a cemetery site associated with the prison by artifact typography. However, the time period for the burials is not established. Pre-Columbian archaeological sites on the island have been reported as well therefore, the pre-Columbian or historic context of the individuals recovered from this site are undetermined. 1 
 " !

Individual #10!

Tissue depth markers!

Skeletal remains in-situ, prison cemetery!

Forensic methods of osteologic analysis including the establishment of a biologic profile, ancestral estimation from craniometric data and two dimensional forensic facial reconstruction illustration were conducted on a selected individual specimen. The results support the conclusion that the remains of individual #10 are of historic context and relative to the prison occupation. " A likeness of the living individual is illustrated using two dimensional techniques revealing the historical gaze of " a multi-ancestral male.! 1. 

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Guerrero, Juan Vicente, Gabriela Villalobos, y Julio Cesar Sanchez (2009). Resultados de la investigacion en el cementario del Penal Isla San Lucas, Golfo de Nicoya, Puntarenas. San Jose, Costa Rica: Arqueologia No. 058-2009; Informe de investigacion historico-arqueologica, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica.! Uhl, Natalie M. and Stephen P. Nawrocki (2010). Multifactorial estimation of age at death from the human skeleton. In Krista Latham and Michael Finnegan (eds.), Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton, pp. 243-261. Charles C. Thomas: Springfield, IL.! Rhine, S. (1990). Nonmetric skull racing. In Gill G, Rhine S, editors. Skeletal attribution of race: methods for forensic anthropology. Maxwell Museum of Anthropological Papers No. 4: 9-20.! Hefner, J.T. (2009). Cranial nonmetric variation and estimating ancestry. Journal of Forensic Sciences: 54(5):985-995! Ousley, S.D and R.L. Jantz (2005). FORDISC 3.0. Personal Computer Forensic Discriminate Functions, University of Tennessee: Knoxville.! Maria Villanueva, Lilia Escorcia, Lorena Valencia and Carlos Serrano (2006). Anthropologia fisica Latinoamericana, 4: pp. 231-245. Escuela Nacional de Anthropologia e Historia, Mexico.! Taylor, K.T. (2001). Forensic Art and Illustration, pp. 361-417. CRC Press: Boca Raton, London, New York, Washington, D.C. !

Graphite technical drawings are rendered on tissue paper directly on top of the life-size photographic prints of the skull. A right lateral technical illustration (not shown) determined alveolar prognathism, placement of the ears and the projection of the nose. A final illustrative sketch is completed by combining the technical sketches and the photographed 
 osteological information. 


INTRODUCTION June 2014 Metropolitan State University of Denver anthropology students were granted permission by the Museo Nacional de ! Costa Rica to examine the remains of eleven individuals excavated from a cemetery on San Lucas Island. The examinations were conducted in the MNCR laboratory building in San Jose, Costa Rica.
 Individual #10 exhibits a distinct nearly complete cranium and mandible therefore, is the best candidate for facial reconstruction. Additionally, the skeletal elements of #10 are associated with anomalous artifacts including rusted nails and 
 button fragments.


Prison boat dock!

Excavation process on Isla San Lucas!

Final reconstruction illustration- at age 41 version!

Overlay on skull photograph!


 RESULTS Predicted from the skull, the face in life displays profound asymmetry promoted by dental disease. A low sloping forehead and strong nose are balanced by full lips and a robust chin. The eyebrows are predictable by following the orbital margins however, the scalp and facial hair depicted is purely speculative and based on cultural and 
 environmental inquiries.



 METHODS An analysis of individual #10 directed by Dr. C. Gaither and assisted by D. McNeal yielded the biological profile as a male, age 41 +/- 10 years.2 Traditional morphological analysis classifies the cranium shape as of Native American (North and South American) ancestry. Some traits, such as alveolar prognathism and a diminutive frontal bone are more consistent with African ancestry.3 Macromorphoscopic analysis using Osteoware 2.4.037, a portable inventory database, resulted in a classification of Asian ancestry.4 FORDISC 3.1 classified the specimen as an Eskimo male.5 
 Physical variation may indicate admixture or a distinctive indigenous group and will manifest in the illustration process. A decision was made to use a regional population sampling of a Latino Americana study for the measurements of the facial tissue.6 ! 21 depth markers were applied at specific points on the skull to guide the soft-tissue reconstruction.7!


 SUMMARY This independent study provided a valuable exchange of training in the use of multidisciplinary craniofacial identification methods for students and researchers in the United States and Costa Rica serving as a model for future ! collaborative opportunities. 
 
 WHAT’S NEXT? MSU Applied Learning Center has been awarded permission of the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica an additional research project opportunity. The 3D facial reconstruction of Central America’s oldest human specimens, the La Regla Site skulls, dating 500 BC. This Undergraduate Research Award has been dedicated to launch this project by CT scanning a human specimen and an associated artifact under the direction of the Department of Anthropology and History, San Jose, CR. ! Special thanks to
 Ricardo Vazquez Leiva, Ph.D., Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, Myrna Rojas Garro, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, The OSA Field Institute, Uvita, Costa Rica, MSUD-Human Identification Lab, Victorhugo Alvarado-Museo Lab Assistant, Dr. T. Yokely-Printing, Kimberly Wendt-Budget Manager, MSU Applied Learning Center, ! Abby Urias-Translation, Chelsie Worth-MSU CAVEA
 !