MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities said Thursday they found a mass grave with 168 human skulls in Veracruz State, a somber reminder of the tens of thousands of people who have gone missing, presumably at the hands of organized crime members.

The remains and personal items found at the site, including 200 articles of clothing, suggested that the victims might have been killed two years ago, said Jorge Winckler Ortiz, the Veracruz attorney general.

It is one of the biggest clandestine graves found in Mexico in recent years. Veracruz has been one of the states caught up in the horror of these giant dumping grounds, used by drug gangs to dispose of their victims.

Federal officials say more than 30,000 people have disappeared in Mexico, although human rights groups put the number much higher. Many families, fearful that the police are working with drug gangs or convinced that investigators will do nothing, never report their missing relatives.