MEXICO CITY.- A series of remarkable discoveries inside the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve in Puebla is shedding new light on the prehistoric life that once roamed the region. Specialists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have confirmed the presence of multiple dinosaur footprints—belonging to a variety of species—dating back an astonishing 120 million years to the Early Cretaceous period.

The findings were first reported by residents of Santa Ana Teloxtoc and surrounding communities after heavy rains eroded sediment layers in September 2025. This natural process exposed the fossilized tracks, prompting INAH paleontologists, led by Iván Alarcón Durán, to survey several sites across the municipalities of Tehuacán and Atexcal. What they found exceeded all expectations.

Across three separate localities—Santa Ana Xaloxtoc in Tehuacán, and Santa Catarina Tehuixtla and San Lucas Teteletitlán in Atexcal—researchers documented between five and twenty footprints at each site. The tracks appear along riverbanks and within rocky ravines, scattered over distances of up to 300 meters. Among them are the imprints of herbivorous iguanodonts, the delicate steps of small theropods, and the massive footprints of sauropods—the long-necked giants of the dinosaur world.

Researchers have also identified traces that may belong to large theropods, possibly from the Allosauridae family, as well as what could be the footprints of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles that soared over ancient seas. These identifications are still under study, but together the discoveries reveal a surprisingly diverse ecosystem thriving in what is now southern Puebla.

“These fossil footprints, or ichnites, are extraordinary clues,” said Alarcón Durán. “They offer indirect evidence of creatures that lived millions of years ago and remind us that the landscapes we know today were once completely different.”

Indeed, nearly half of present-day southern Puebla was underwater during the Early Cretaceous. Shallow lagoons and shifting coastlines provided the perfect conditions for dinosaur tracks to be stamped into soft sediment—imprints that hardened over time and have resurfaced today.

The newly identified sites have also revealed fossil-rich layers containing mollusks and even remnants of petrified wood, similar to well-known deposits at Barranca del Río Magdalena and San Juan Raya. All are part of the geologically significant San Juan Raya Formation.

INAH emphasizes that protecting these fragile traces of the past depends on close collaboration with local communities. Open communication aims to prevent looting, preserve the integrity of the sites, and ensure that future research—conducted under formal INAH authorization—can continue to deepen understanding of this ancient ecosystem.

“This heritage belongs to all of us,” said Alarcón Durán. “By safeguarding it, we honor the deep history written into Mexico’s land.”