Thursday, October 9, 2025

Graffiti and garbage mark some of Mexico’s forgotten archaeological sites

Some of Mexico’s archaeological sites are littered with garbage, defaced with graffiti and in various states of deterioration, which probably explains in part why they see few visitors.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which has 171 sites in its care, has reported that four significant sites received no visitors last year and that 16 others saw fewer than 1,000.

For the fourth year in a row, Cuauhtochco in Veracruz, a thriving city 1,400 years ago, received no visitors. Ocoyoacac in México state, an important ceremonial center between the years 450 and 650 AD, was similarly unpopular last year.

Teopanzolco in Morelos, a site with a large pyramid topped with a temple dedicated to Tláloc and Huitzilopochtli, the Mexica gods of rain and war respectively, remained closed to the public in 2018 because of damage sustained to the site during the September 2017 earthquake and the discovery of a new temple.

Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas, a site with structures from several pre-Columbian cultures dating as far back as 750 BC, including temples, terraces and what archaeologists think might be Mesoamerica’s oldest tomb, also went unvisited in 2018.

Lack of personnel may be the reason for many sites being virtually abandoned, suggested a report in the newspaper El Universal.

INAH director Diego Prieto acknowledged last month that the institute, rather than creating new jobs, has terminated 850 positions in the last 15 years.

Source: El Universal (sp)

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

Mexico’s Caribbean coast welcomes early end to sargassum season

2
Sargassum on Quintana Roo's beaches caused a lot of problems throughout the season, but in reality, the quantities seen were lower than experts had predicted earlier in the year.

Migrant apprehensions at Mexico border hit 55-year low, US reports

5
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 237,565 apprehensions at the Mexico-U.S. border in Fiscal Year 2025, the lowest total since Fiscal Year 1970.
Mammoth discovery made in Mexico City

How Mexican scientists uncovered the story of the first mammoths in the Americas

1
The important new discoveries were made after an airport construction project uncovered ancient Ice Age mammoth fossils.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity