A GEOGRAPHIC, STRATIGRAPHIC, AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF LATE PLEISTOCENE MEGAFAUNAL REMAINS IN THE BASIN OF MEXICO

The late Pleistocene megafaunal record of the Basin of Mexico is one of the richest in the country. In part this is because most of the findings have been discovered and reported in tandem with the development of public infrastructure in greater metropolitan area of Mexico City. This means that most of the findings have been studied through salvage archaeological projects, and only a few developing into long-term and detailed research projects. This results in information gaps and low possibilities of studying their possible relation with Paleoamerican hunters. To better understand the distribution and paleoenvironmental context of megafaunal sites in the Basin of Mexico, this study analyzes stratigraphic attributes, location, faunal diversity, and possible association with humans in reports and publications. The results show that the higher concentrations of megafaunal sites are located around paleolakes Texcoco and Xaltocan, mainly near river mouths and springs. Most of the sites have mammoths only or mammoths are the most important species, followed by camels and horses. Another important aspect is a substantial number of mammoths seem to associated with the highly plastic clay deposit, locally referred to as jaboncillo. This suggests that, like the case of the tar at Rancho La Brea, this could be a factor in trapping animals to their deaths. In fact, two of the mammoths directly associated with lithic points seem to indicate that the mammoths were hunted while bogged down in the jaboncillo clay. Mammoth remains outside the lacustrine realm are often found in alluvial gravel, or in volcanic ash. Ultimately, this study aims at identifying potential sites for further studies that broaden our perspective of megafaunal assemblages, paleoenvironments, and incidence of prehistoric hunters.