54. Possible Relatives in the Americas

Tepexpan Woman (Mexico State, Mexico)

by George Weber

Location of Tepexpan and Sta Isabel Istapan

 

The skeleton including skull of what was named Tepexpan "man" was found in May 1946 and was first thought to be the skull of a man. On later analysis it turned out to be a woman.

 

Although the restorer of Tepexpan person's face thought he was dealing with a man, his restoration appears to have been so close to reality that the face could also represent a woman if one disregards the hair style.

The Tepexpan woman at the original site in 1946.

Near Tepexpan is another site, Sta. Isabel Istapan where stone tools and lots of animal bones (including mammoth) were found. Clearly this was a rendering place for animals killed in hunts. Although there is no direct archaeological connection between the Tepexpan woman the the animals bones, it is thought that it was her people were active at Sta. Isabela. The dating wouldmatch, too, albeit somewhat tentatively.

The animal rendering site at Sta. Isabela Istapan brought a large number of tools and bones of large animals to light. Cutting marks on the bones and tools fashioned from the bones leave no doubt that these animals were hunted and killed by humans around 13,000 years ago.

  

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Last change 1 January 2007