Mexico-Querétaro train works uncover ancient ceramics and cultural exchanges

Archaeological salvage operations accompanying the construction of the Mexico City-Querétaro passenger train have uncovered a vast array of ceramic artifacts documenting over two millennia of human occupation. The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported that the findings span from the Late Preclassic period (400 BCE to 200 CE) to the Late Postclassic period (1200 to 1521 CE).

The recovered materials reveal extensive cultural exchange and migration. Beyond the well-known presence of Teotihuacan, Toltec, and Mexica civilizations, archaeologists have identified links to societies from Oaxaca, the Huasteca, the Gulf Coast, the Bajío, and the Valley of Mexico. Specifically, gray clay pottery from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and lead-colored Toltec ceramics were identified at sites such as Ignacio Zaragoza and El Venado in Hidalgo.

To process these finds, the Ministry of Culture established a specialized ceramics laboratory in Tepeji del Río de Ocampo, Hidalgo. This facility is used to analyze and reconstruct utilitarian and ritual objects recovered from temples and burials. Project coordinator Víctor Francisco Heredia Guillén noted that the diversity of the pieces suggests that people from various regions may have traveled and integrated into local societies while maintaining their own cultural identities.