Tepexpan man

The Tepexpan Man is a Pre-Columbian era skeleton, discovered by archaeologist Helmut de Terra in February 1947, on the shores of the former Lake Texcoco in central Mexico. The skeleton was found near mammoth remains and thought to be at least 10,000 years old. It was fancifully hailed by Time magazine as the oldest Mexican Soldier. The skeleton was found lying face down with the arms under the chest and the legs drawn up to the stomach. The body most likely sunk into the mud surrounding it, leaving the shoulder, back, and hips exposed, which might explain why those elements are missing. It is possible that the body was originally deposited in the lake.

Alluvial deposits overlaid by layers of calcium carbonate, lake sediments, and recent deposits dated the site where Tepexpan Man was found to about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Excavations revealed the remains of five mammoths which were found near the skeleton and associated with obsidian flakes. Therefore, it was originally believed that Tepexpan Man dated to about 10,000 years ago. However, years later, researchers revisited the skeleton and dated the remains using radiocarbon methods. It was then found to be closer to 2,000 years old. Dr. Silvia Gonzalez, a professor of geoarchaeology at John Moore University in Liverpool, used uranium isotope analysis to date the skeleton. Results showed that Tepexpan Man was 4,700 years old. She argues that contamination of the remains led to the obscured radiocarbon dates. Other critics have claimed that Tepexpan Man was an intrusion in that he was buried at a later date but dug into Pleistocene materials.

An analysis of Tepexpan Man that was published in the 1947 issue of The Science Newsletter claims that the individual was at least 40 at the time of death. This was determined by "united seams in the skull," (referring to sutures) and fused epiphyses in long bones.

In his preliminary report, Helmut de Terra claims that "The other bones, in conjunction with the skull, indicate that the person was of male sex." Based on DNA analysis, a Mexican archaeologist has proposed that Tepexpan 'man' was actually a woman.

Tepexpan Man exhibits a healed fracture on his right ulna. De Terra hypothesized that due to his fracture and the proximity to mammoth fossils, Tepexpan Man may have been a hunter who was either killed by his fellow men or mortally wounded while hunting. The Science Newsletter claims that the individual suffered from a stiff neck due to the many limy deposits on the cervical vertebrae. This means that Tepexpan Man most likely suffered from arthritis.

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Wikipedia