Friday, July 18, 2025

Prehistoric human skeleton ‘Yotzin’ could be oldest from Valley of Mexico

In 1984, archeologists found the 10,500-year-old skull of a prehistoric human skull in Chimalhuacán, México state, which for the next 40 years became the first and only pre-ceramic human remains found in the Valley of Mexico — that is until the recent discovery of “Yotzin,” a prehistoric human skeleton of a hunter-gatherer male that INAH estimated Tuesday is at least 10,000 years old. 

But the soil layer in which Yotzin was found could place it as older, even possibly the oldest human remains ever to be found in the Valley of Mexico.

Skull fossil of Yotzin, featuring several cracks in the forehead and crown and two missing front teeth
The skull of “Yotzin,” a prehistoric human skeleton found in México state during the construction of Felipe Ángeles International Airport. (Mauricio Murat/INAH)

Yotzin, found during the construction of Felipe Ángeles International Airport, will undoubtedly provide archaeologists with important information about human evolution in the region. But he also could turn out to be the oldest human remains found in the Valley of Mexico. 

INAH announced Tuesday that while it has yet to carbon date the remains, it’s currently estimating the skeleton, based on its physical features, to be around 10,000 years old, from between the late Pleistocene Era and the early Holocene Era.

INAH physical anthropologist Arturo Talavera González said that Yotzin has an elongated skull and wide jaws, suggesting that he belonged to late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups, before the first known settler civilizations in the area. 

Marks found on Yotzin’s bones, along with its “poorly flattened femurs and transverse flattening of the tibia,” indicate intense physical activity, such as long walks and the use of teeth to wear down various materials, Talavera said. These features, which tended to decrease with the arrival of agriculture and a more sedentary lifestyle, are characteristic of primitive hunter-gatherer peoples. 

“If an individual shows signs of wear and tear on their teeth but no cavities, it could indicate a pre-ceramic diet,” he said.  

If INAH’s current estimates are correct, Yotzin would be about the same age as Chimalhuacán Man, which INAH dates at 10,500 years old. The soil in which Yotzin was discovered, however, could indicate that the prehistoric skeleton is significantly older.

The layer of soil in which Yotzin was found appears to correspond to an interglacial warming period that occurred between 13,000 and 20,000 years ago, according to INAH biologist Lauro González Quintero.

INAH’s preliminary report states that scientists need to confirm Yotzin’s exact age and validate his place in the chronology of the Valley of Mexico’s first settlers. Researchers also hope to soon conduct the next phase of research on the site in which Yotzin was found, known as Santa Lucia M3, in the town of San Mateo Xóloc. 

Mexico News Daily

1 COMMENT

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.

The very best independent bookstores in Mexico City

0
The streets of Mexico City are lined with second (or third) hand literature, and you can find the best of them at these stunning locations.
A collage-style promotional image for the series "Serpientes y Escaleras" (Snakes and Ladders), one of the best Mexican TV series in 2025. In the center, actress Cecilia Suarez, who has dark hair and orange-framed glasses, smiles faintly as she looks into the camera. Around her are smaller panels featuring a man in a suit, a woman looking down and a young man with dyed hair. Green and pink snakes are visible in the corners of the central image.

From prison dramas to black comedies, a look at 2025’s best Mexican TV series — so far 

0
Carolina Alvarado is your guide to four new standout Mexican TV series that have captured both critical praise and massive audience attention this year.
Wixárika Route

Sacred Wixárika route added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

6
The route’s inscription requires the creation of a conservation plan that allows the Wixárika people to continue their rituals, which include leaving offerings at sacred sites throughout central Mexico.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity