Man of Tlapacoya

History of the discovery

In 1966, during the construction of the highway connecting Mexico City to the town of Puebla, were discovered in a monticule known under the name of hill of Tlapacoya, close to banks of an old lake named Chalco, the remainders of bones of animals: équidés (Equus), Bears, large Deer tribe, Mammoth, Smilodon or tiger with the teeth of sabers; quartz and obsidian artefacts gathered around a hearth (charcoal remainders).

Analyzes and dating

The first analyzes of the radiocarbon 14, the taking away carried out on the ground and the carbonaceous remainders of the hearth, as well as bones of animals, gave a fork of dates between 22.000 years and 25.000 years.

An obsidian blade was released under the trunk of a tree buried and released in the site even. The tree is gone back to 24.000 years. The blade was in its turn analyzed by means of the method of obsidian hydration, it is dated between 22.000 years and 25.000 years.

Description of the human bones

The human remainders were also analyzed. The cranium is incomplete, however all the low part of cranium reveals that the craniologic characteristics are dolichocéphales, thus indicating an origin not mongoloïde, but possibly Europoïde or Australoïde (just like that of the Femme of Peñon). The bones of this paléoaméricain are gone back to 11.000 years. The man was 35 years old.

See too

External bonds

jornada.unam
igeofcu.unam
nerc.ac
redescolar.ilce
antropologia.com

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