Archaeologists conducting salvage excavations along the route of the Mexico City–Querétaro Passenger Train have uncovered a large assemblage of ceramics, revealing evidence of cultural exchange and successive periods of occupation in central Mexico.
The discoveries, made during archaeological investigations by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), include pottery associated with the Teotihuacan, Toltec and Mexica cultures, in addition to materials linked to societies from the Valley of Mexico, the Huasteca, the Gulf Coast, the Bajío, Oaxaca, Querétaro and Hidalgo.
According to INAH, the ceramics provide evidence of long-established trade networks, population movements and cultural interaction between communities occupying the region over nearly two millennia.
To study the discoveries, Mexico's Ministry of Culture has established a specialised ceramics laboratory in Tepeji del Río de Ocampo, Hidalgo, where archaeologists are analysing and reconstructing domestic and ceremonial vessels recovered from settlements, burials and temple contexts.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico's Secretary of Culture, said: "The infrastructure projects underway in our country also represent an opportunity to expand our knowledge of history."
She added that the archaeological investigations have enabled researchers to recover materials documenting centuries of occupation and cultural exchange, contributing to the understanding and preservation of Mexico's archaeological heritage.
The recovered materials date from the Late Preclassic period (400 BC–AD 200) to the Late Postclassic period (AD 1200–1521), and were excavated at several sites along the railway corridor, including Tula, Ignacio Zaragoza and El Venado in Hidalgo, and Vista Real in Querétaro.
Víctor Francisco Heredia Guillén, coordinator of the archaeological rescue project, suggested that the diversity of ceramic traditions may reflect the movement of populations from neighbouring regions who subsequently integrated into local communities while retaining elements of their cultural identity.
At Ignacio Zaragoza, archaeologists identified ceramics dating to the Classic period (AD 200–900), including materials associated with the expansion of Teotihuacan during the Tlamimilolpa (AD 250–400) and Xolalpan (AD 400–650) phases.
Pottery from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca was also found at Ignacio Zaragoza and El Venado. It was polished or smoothed grey clay with quartz sand.
“These particular characteristics of manufacturing have allowed researchers to locate connections with ceramic traditions outside the immediate region,” says archaeologist Rosa María Sánchez Sánchez.
After Teotihuacan's decline the area was re-occupied by Toltec communities in Postclassic times as part of the settlement periphery of Tula before later Mexica occupation.
Archaeologist Luis Alberto Jurado Martínez says that the ceramic assemblages contain lead-coloured pottery of Toltec production as well as False Lead, Aztec and Burnished Texcoco wares (the latter with black volcanic decoration on red or maroon surfaces).
Other discoveries include ceramics associated with the Huasteca region, manufactured using white kaolin clay with black designs on cream-coloured backgrounds, as well as Granular pottery originating from Guerrero.
At Vista Real in Querétaro, investigations led by archaeologist Yatzin Montiel Vargas, in collaboration with Carlos Alberto Simón Pérez, have identified evidence suggesting that the settlement occupied a transitional position between Tula and the Bajío region.
Excavations uncovered complete vessels deposited in burials, together with ritual objects such as braziers, incense burners and pipes.
Researchers also identified plates and bowls belonging to the Xajay Post-Firing Red Incised ceramic tradition, characterised by incised geometric decoration and associated with the Mezquital Valley.
Additional finds include composite vessels and figurines linked to the Bajío during the Epiclassic period, around AD 800–1000, further indicating connections between the two regions.
The assemblages also contain anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, including Preclassic examples from El Venado, Teotihuacan Portrait-type figurines and Toltec objects associated with the Coyotlatelco and Mazapa occupation phases (AD 600–900).
Archaeologist Ana Karen Vázquez Ayala noted that some figurines were associated with burials and exhibited evidence of deliberate ritual breakage, providing further insight into ceremonial practices during different periods of occupation.
According to Heredia Guillén, complete and substantially preserved vessels will be documented in an archaeological salvage catalogue and transferred to secure storage, with selected examples potentially destined for future public exhibitions.
The remaining ceramic assemblages will be incorporated into a typological reference collection, enabling researchers to conduct comparative studies of pottery production, distribution and cultural affiliations.
The findings provide new evidence of the complex networks of settlement, trade and cultural interaction that connected communities across central Mexico from the Preclassic through to the Late Postclassic period.
Sources : INAH