Landa de Matamoros - Archeology

Archeology

There are two archeological zones/former ceremonial sites in El Lobo and a cave area in the community of Neblinas. There are small indigenous temples in Potero del Llano, Agua Zarca, El Sabinito and La Campana, which contain stone and clay idols linked to the Pame, Huasteco and Jonaz cultures. The La Campana site in the municipality has been sacked and destroyed, despite recent measures taken to protect local sites. The crime was reported by archeologists María Teresa Muñoz Espinoza and José Carlos Castañeda Reyes, who state that this is the most important site of the area. The site belongs to the Huasteca culture and dated to about 600 CE. It is located between the communities of La Campana and Las Ánimas. The site has also been damaged by landslides, possibly provoked by the illegal mining of white sand in the area. This is where the worst damage to the site is. The site measures thirty eight meters long and five meters in depth. Thefts include a complete burial with various ceramic objects. A large grinding stone was destroyed intentionally. The site was discovered about sixty years ago but there has been no budget to excavate it formally. However, there have been about 160 structured counted including platforms, plazas, patios and more. There is a push to cover and protect the area, especially that closest to where the sand mining occurs.

Fossils found in the area include those of marine life in the community of El Madroño and Pleistocene animals in the municipal seat, principally that of mastodons. The Sierra Gorda region 100 million years ago was sea bed. The El Madroño fossil deposit is one of the most important of its kind in Mexico as it is the only one with such a wide diversity of species in excellent state of conservation. Many of the species found have been identified and include a large number of invertebrate species and species not before found in the region. However, research into the area has not been concluded.