Incredibly, Mexico is noteworthy in the number of remains of mammoths. Many remains are not seen, as they lie underground. And, occasionally mammoth remains appear, and in almost all of Mexico, remains have appeared for more than the past 50 years.
Historically, over 12 thousand years ago, lakes abounded in the basin of Mexico. Scientists have found that mammoths roamed along lake shores.
Mainly, in the Valley of Mexico is where mammoth remains have been exhumed the most. Other mammoth remains have been found in the northern half of Mexico City and the State of Mexico, mainly around the ancient Lake Texcoco. This region holds one of the richest deposits in Pleistocene fauna in the Americas.
Other important findings have also been made in what were ancient lakes in the states of Puebla, Jalisco, and in San Luis Potosí. These being distinctly associated with humans.
Certainly, for thousands of years, mammoths lived in central Mexico.
Currently, giant mammoth bones are sometimes found in various regions of Mexico by locals, located, and studied by paleontologists.
Below you will find information about mammoth findings in Mexico, in chronological order.
In 1926, mammoth bones were found on a federal highway to Puebla, at a depth of about four meters. These specimens are striking and are displayed in the Museum of Geology of the UNAM, in Mexico City.
In the 1950’s, in Santa Isabel Ixtapan, State of Mexico, the remains of a mammoth were found. These remains are perhaps the most well-known. The mammoth was injured with three stone knives. For humans, it is served as food. More findings include: Acozac (Ixtapaluca, 1956), Tepexpan (1958 and 1961), and the Santa Lucía air base (1976), all in the State of Mexico.
In 1974, during a landslide, vestiges of mammoths were found on the banks of Fresnillo, Zacatecas. Later, more remains appeared, and the area considered a paleontological zone.
Between 1970 and 1995, traces of 13 mammoths, about 10,000 years old, were found at different excavation points on various Metro lines in Mexico City. Since then, many mammoth remains have been rescued on Metro lines in diverse areas of Mexico City, such as Del Valle, Lindavista, and Coyoacán.
In 1978, during the construction of Line 4 of the Mexico City Metro, small mammoth skeleton remains were found. Today, they are on display at the eastern entrance of the Talismán metro station.
In 1983, divers Juvencio Martinez Flores, Juan Castillo Rodriguez and Osiel Martinez Ramirez found a mammoth skull at the bottom of the Media Luna lagoon, in the state of San Luis Potosi.
In 1990, two mammoth skeletons were excavated in the Potrero de la Laguna neighborhood, in the municipality of Coacalco.
In 1996, a mammoth site was discovered while locals were digging a cistern in a private property. The site is located at the mouth of a river in the ancient Lake Texcoco, close to the church of Tocuila. At a depth of three meters, remains of more than 5 mammoths of various ages were found, dating back almost 11,000 years.
In 2001, the remains of 3 mammoths were found at a construction site, in the center of Tlanepantla.
In 2011, the remains of a mammoth that was buried by volcanic ash were found in Santa Ana Tlacotenco, a town in the Milpa Alta vicinity, south of Mexico City. The mammoth was caught in the eruption. It is estimated to have measured 4 meters tall. Researchers confirm that this is one of the most complete remains that have been discovered in the Valley of Mexico area.
Also in 2011, in a barren piece of land in Tultepec, state of Mexico, where a landfill was planned, a thousand and a half bones of at least 14 mammoths were found. Researchers maintain that traps for hunting were exposed. This reveals human interaction between 15,000 and 13,000 years before the present. Researchers believe that this finding is the largest-ever of mammoth remains in central Mexico, and note that at least five mammoth herds lived in the area.
In December 2011, while digging on farmland, residents of Santa Ana Tlacotenco, found some strange unknown specimens, that turned out to be mammoth molars. There were two upper molars and one lower left molar. Scientists determined that the molars were those of a 40-year-old young adult of the species Mamuthus columbi that disappeared approximately 10 thousand years ago. Currently, many residents of the town have in their homes, tusks, molars and ribs, and other mammoth remains they have found.
In 2012, the remains of a mammoth were discovered in Huimilpan, a municipality of Querétaro. Researchers maintain this mammoth was one of the last of the species to disappear about 8,000 years ago.
In 2020, a discovery of skeletal remains including 480 mammoths, humans, were rescued on the land where the construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) took place.
Photo credit: defensa.com
Mammoth Museums in Mexico
Notably in Mexico, there are regional museums with mammoth remains:
In the northern region of Mexico, there are specimens in the Paleontological Museum of Ciudad Delicias, Chihuahua; at the University of Sonora, Hermosillo; in the town of Mina, Nuevo León, and in the Museum of El Obispado, in Monterrey.
In the western region of Mexico, the Regional Museum of the NAH in Guadalajara exhibits a large and rare, standing mammoth. This mammoth was found in the state of Jalisco.
In the central part of Mexico, in the Mexico City metropolis, the Casa de Morelos Museum is restoring the skeleton of an almost complete mammoth. This mammoth was found in Ecatepec, in the state of Mexico. Also, the small Tepexpan Museum, exhibits loose bones of a mammoth, a mural, and a model mammoth.
The Tultepec Mammoth Museum (Mudema) protects more than 1,500 mammoth bones and exhibits 2 almost complete proboscidean specimens.
Handout photograph released by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) of mammoth bones in Tultepec, Mexico.
In the vicinity of Mexico City, the Archaeological Museum of Xochimilco, in the town of Santa Cruz Acalpixcan, has ribs, tibiae, and loose molars on display.
In the southern region of Mexico, the Tierra de Gigantes “Quinamétzin” Museum is an attraction at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). It is also known as the Paleontological Museum of Santa Lucía Quinametzin.
The museum is dedicated to exhibit skeletal remains that were found at the airport construction site. Among the great attractions is a replica of a mammoth and exhibits of skeletal remains found in the vicinity. The museum has permanent exhibitions and a research center. The museum was built by the Ministry of National Defense of Mexico, so that the findings would remain in the Santa Lucía area.
Without a doubt, Mexico is the arena of surprising mammoth discoveries.
Author: AllMexico.store
References
http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/biodiversidad/EdHielo/mamutColumbia.html
Paleontological Museum of Santa Lucia QUINAMETZIN | Olmecamayamexica Group | Government | gob.mx
http://www.unamiradaalaciencia.unam.mx/stc_metro/este_mes_sct.cfm
Did you know?
On land at the Santa Lucía Air Base in Mexico, where construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) was carried out, the most numerous and important collection of fossil remains between 30,000 and 11,700 years old were found. The National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico reported the discovery of 25,000 skeletal remains of different species: mammoths, humans, horses, sloths, saber-toothed and camels.
Among the material that has already been rescued, 480 mammoths, 100 camels, 40 American horses and remains of other species. There were also more than 100 human burials.
Researchers point out that of the remains of the 480 mammoths found, 70 are semi-complete skeletons, considered an important number.
