Treponema pallidum infections occur worldwide causing, among other diseases, syphilis and yaws. In particular sexually transmitted syphilis is regarded as a re-emerging infectious disease with millions of new infections annually. Here we present three historic T. pallidum genomes (two from T. pallidum ssp. pallidum and one from T. pallidum ssp. pertenue) that have been reconstructed from skeletons recovered from the Convent of Santa Isabel in Mexico City, operational between the 17th and 19th century. Our analyses indicate that different T. pallidum subspecies caused similar diagnostic presentations that are normally associated with syphilis in infants, and potential evidence of a congenital infection of T. pallidum ssp. pertenue, the causative agent of yaws. This first reconstruction of T. pallidum genomes from archaeological material opens the possibility of studying its evolutionary history at a resolution previously assumed to be out of reach.

Traditional methods of aging adult skeletons suffer from the problem of age mimicry of the reference collection, as described by Bocquet-Appel and Masset (1982). Transition analysis (Boldsen et al., 2002) is a method of aging adult skeletons that addresses the problem of age mimicry of the reference collection by allowing users to select an appropriate prior probability. In order to evaluate whether transition analysis results in significantly different age estimates for adults, the method was applied to skeletal collections from Postclassic Cholula and Contact-Period Xochimilco. The resulting age-at-death distributions were then compared with age-at-death distributions for the two populations constructed using traditional aging methods. Although the traditional aging methods result in age-at-death distributions with high young adult mortality and few individuals living past the age of 50, the age-at-death distributions constructed using transition analysis indicate that most individuals who lived into adulthood lived past the age of 50.

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There are indications of a demographic change between the Late-Terminal Classic and Post-Classic periods. Life expectancies are lower than 30 years, a high infant mortality and low adult survival after 50 years is shown. The Post-Classic period is characterized by population rearrangements and mobility. Results obtained for both Chac Mool series showed deterioration in health and reduced life expectancy and fertility levels from one period to another. El Meco and Xcambó series showed differences with Chac Mool's due to higher growth rates.

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Se contrastan los diferentes escenarios demográficos construidos a partir del análisis de varias series osteológicas procedentes de la ciudad de México cuya temporalidad corresponde a los siglos xvii al xix, conformada por criollos, mestizos e indígenas; y otra procedente de un área rural fechada en el siglo xvi, en Xochimilco, de composición eminentemente indígena. La técnica paleodemográfica permite obtener perfiles demográficos específicos para cada serie que se comparan y discuten con la información histórica disponible para la ciudad de México. Los resultados de las series urbanas y la rural, describen poblaciones con bajas esperanzas de vida, escasa sobrevivencia hacia las edades adultas y una alta mortalidad infantil producto de las condiciones sanitarias, de la pobreza y de la violencia, teniendo como telón de fondo grandes cambios sociales y económicos, además de crisis demográficas epidémicas y hambre.

In bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology the most reliable skeletal element for sex estimation is the pelvis; nevertheless, when it is missing, other postcranial elements must be used. The main goal of this research is to provide sectioning points for sex assessment from humeral and femoral head diameters for three prehispanic and two contemporary Mexican populations. Using a sliding caliper, a total of 386 (45.3% female and 54.6% male) humeral and femoral head diameters were recorded. The sectioning point was calculated as the mean between sexes, and univariate independent sample t-tests were performed to test significant differences between sexes. The results demonstrate significant sexual differences in all populations and high percentages of correct sex classification (90%-94%). We conclude that the proposed cut-off points can be used as an alternative for sex estimation in Mexican populations, in contexts with incomplete skeletons and/or fragmented bones.

En esta investigación analizo el carácter endémico de la sífilis, y su repercusión entre los habitantes de la ciudad de México especialmente en el siglo XIX. Reviso la etiología de la sífilis, el diagnóstico clínico, las formas del contagio y las medidas para prevenirlo. La controversia en torno a la aplicación de la vacuna contra la viruela y la inoculación de la sífilis. Examino cuestiones relativas a su presencia entre grupos sociales, por sexo y edad, mediante la utilización de dos fuentes primarias: la primera, los documentos históricos: listas de enfermos que ingresaban al hospital y de los fallecidos en él con datos del lugar de origen, la edad, sexo y causa de muerte; estudios médicos de la época tales como tesis, tratados y publicaciones sobre el diagnóstico, profilaxis, prevención, las formas de contagio y los experimentos para obtener una vacuna. La segunda fuente de datos son los esqueletos de cientos de sus habitantes, con huellas de sífilis, como prueba fehaciente de la diseminación del contagio entre todas las capas de la sociedad capitalina, procedentes de cementerios, iglesia y hospitales de los siglos XVII al XIX. Las fuentes secundarias, en particular las investigaciones acerca de los hospitales, la salud pública y la prostitución, son temas centrales. El control sanitario y su relación con la prostitución en esa época son relevantes, ya que una de las muestras esqueléticas pertenece a San Juan de Dios, hospital donde fueron atendidos enfermos de sífilis y prostitutas en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX.