The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced the discovery of dinosaur footprints between Puebla and Oaxaca, specifically in Santa Ana Teloxtoc, in the municipality of Tehuacán, within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve.
Experts indicate that the dinosaur footprints were first found in September 2025, but their existence was only recently confirmed.
They also stated that the footprints belong to different groups of dinosaurs, dating back approximately 120 million years to the Early Cretaceous period.
They further reported that Iván Alarcón Durán, head of the Paleontology Department at the INAH Center in Puebla, along with the State Directorate of Historical Heritage, verified reports from residents about these footprints in the municipalities of Atexcal and Tehuacán, in order to define protection measures and begin their registration.
Which dinosaurs are these footprints from?
Experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) explain that the footprints belong to herbivorous, carnivorous, and even flying dinosaurs, and that they are located in three sites:
Santa Ana Teloxtoc, in Tehuacán
Santa Catarina Tehuixtla, in Atexcal. San Lucas Teteletitlán, in Atexcal
They also indicated that at each of these locations, between Puebla and Oaxaca, between five and 20 dinosaur footprints were found, located on riverbanks or in ravines, extending for 200 to 300 meters.
Why were these footprints formed?
INAH archaeologists explain that, although it may not seem so, almost half of the current territory of Puebla, mainly in the south, was once sea. In some areas, there were even beaches, which is precisely where the dinosaur footprints were created as the seabed gradually transformed into lagoons.
“The presence of footprints of various dinosaurs within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve has been confirmed,” the INAH posted on its official social media accounts.
Source: unotv
