Volume 6 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1067598 This article is part of the Research TopicSustainable Processing and Preservation of Underutilized Indigenous FoodsView all 7 articles Traditional fermented products are disappearing from the local foodscapes due to social pressures and ecological changes that affect their production; it is therefore crucial to document local knowledge which is crucial to maintain and recover local biocultural heritage and to contribute to food security This study aims to document and foster the production of local traditional beverages by registering recipes of fermented beverages in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve in central Mexico a region recognized for its great biocultural diversity We conducted a search of peer-reviewed literature we included ethnographic research and participatory methods to engage residents in different steps of the production process We identified five main fermented beverages in the research area the most common beverages are those produced by agave species which include pulque and an almost extinct beverage known as lapo which involves sugar cane as main substrate We also identified a fermented beverage produced with several cacti fruits known as nochoctli and a traditional a fermented beverage produced with fruits of Schinus molle known as tolonche We highlight the production of lapo and tolonche since these involved the incorporation of foreign substrates into the region after the Spaniard conquest and to their restricted distribution and almost extinction The beverages tolonche and lapo are nowadays almost lost and only a few producers still prepare them to follow modified versions of the original recipe Lapo and tolonche were once important in the research area but almost became extinct until local people started to recently recover them Traditional fermented beverages in Mexico play an important role in cultural identity and contribute to the local diet; nevertheless several fermented beverages have not been recorded and have even become extinct This work is an effort to promote and conserve traditional fermented beverages as valuable biocultural heritage by empowering people to make decisions about the use of locally available resources which is crucial in times when food systems are highly vulnerable there was little information characterizing the preparation of a fermented beverage with S molle fruits in Mexico nor any data on where it is prepared or consumed until this study This fact reflects the relevance of a core beverage and the addition of secondary ingredients thus allowing for the diversification of a central fermented product in Mexican people's diet little has been studied to characterize the diversity of traditional fermented beverages in the region Based on previous research assessing food systems in the region this study aims to identify and characterize the traditional beverages of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley including their main plant substrates and those that have been added as part of the dynamic management practices in the region We particularly emphasize two beverages that are endangered to be lost and that have not been documented in detail We performed ethnobiological research to characterize their plant substrates and the mechanisms employed for its current conservation especially needed when food systems are vulnerable Source: INEGI conjunto de datos vectoriales producers were visited and asked if they allowed us to conduct open interviews and 1 with lapo producers (7 in total) for a deeper information acquisition of the production of these fermented beverages We employed participant observation regarding the production of the local traditional fermented beverages in the region The authors participated in the preparation of lapo and tolonche beverages molle fruits and the obtention of agave sap to the consumption of the beverage and the documentation of the details throughout the production process Photographs and video records were taken with the authorization of the interviewees given through oral consent from the local authorities and participants We also registered data about the economic and socio-cultural roles of the producers of fermented beverages When we identified the production of a traditional fermented beverage prepared with S we also documented other uses of this tree we identified five traditional fermented beverages prepared in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley in which Agave species are the main plant substrate to produce fermented beverages We recorded that the production of lapo is almost extinct and only one producer remains active We also identified a fermented beverage produced with different cacti fruits known as nochoctli a beverage prepared with fruits of the pepper tree (S we will describe the five beverages produced in the region based on their substrates We particularly emphasize the production of lapo and tolonche due to their uniqueness in the region the incorporation of foreign substrates such as S karwinskii is also distributed in the region but not employed for mescal production because the mescal produced with this specie causes headaches and its sugar concentrations are too low for the fermentation process a recent interaction between mescal producers from the state of Oaxaca (a major mescal state producer) and Zapotitlán has led to the incorporation of the know-how for this mescal there has been an increasing market demand in recent years for mescal based on A inaequidens that has promoted the cultivation of this species in extensive areas even when this is an introduced specie in the region marmorata cultivars for mescal production closer to the mescal factory (B) Distillation process in Zapotitlan Salinas (D) Agave mead storage in plastic container for further pulque production Pulque producers in the community have nowadays decreased They say this activity demands excessive work and causes social stigmas but pays off low economic profit the number of mescal producers has increased and producers that had historically been pulque producers have now shifted to mescal production Pulque is prepared by adding a wide diversity of fruits; in the study region All these fruits are part of the local landscapes of the region and most of these species are managed to obtain these fruits While pulque production occurs in clay vessels (Figure 5) the maintenance and cleaning of the ship are particularly important for producers if a new vessel is going to be used for pulque They leave the leaves inside the vessel until they rot and are then removed Agave mead is added to start the fermentation process another practice to clean and guarantee the optimal status of the final product is to add alcohol and set it on fire to clean possible undesired odors and flavors The latter practice is performed mainly when the final product is predominantly acidic It should be highlighted that there is a preference for segmented shapes with wide middle parts and mouths This allows to contain fermented products and prevent them from spilling the vessels are kept and sealed in a safe place and cleaned with plain water We particularly noted that pulque consumers identify differences in the quality of pulque when it is produced in clay containers rather than plastic containers and preferences are significantly high for clay vessels (B) Sugar cane production in the community of San Gabriel Chilac (C) Actual lapo distributed in San Gabriel Chilac Lapo was maintained and reproduced for several years it was later produced with brown sugar rather than mescal or sugar cane and has remained like this until present times people consider that the flavor is different and that the actual lapo does not have the flavor that it used to have 5 to 8 L per week and the alcoholic content varies since the volumes of pulque and brown sugar and fermentation duration are heterogenous the gathering of cacti fruits has also changed due to an increase in demand for fruits like Pachycereus weberi or Hylocereus undatus The increase in demand in national and international markets has altered the gathering of these fruits for local consumption and changed the motivation to maintain this beverage There has also been an increase in migration in the localities that produce nochoctli which might endanger the transmission of the knowledge for producing this beverage to future generations Several socio-economic pressures threaten the future of this beverage but perhaps the most important is the low oral transmission about how to produce it mainly because migration is a common factor affecting the localities studied (A) A scheme for tolonche production; (B) Recollection of S molle seeds; (C) Removing the hull from the seeds; (D) Watering the fruits of S and (E) Pulque addition for a shorter fermentation time The use of this tree for medicinal purposes has vanished throughout the area that goes from the Andean region to Mesoamerica and most producers use plastic containers and add pulque to obtain a more rapid fermentation Traditional vessels from the community of Los Reyes Metzontla for tolonche and pulque fermentation (B) modern vessels for tolonche production also this clay containers are used for pulque production in small batches (C) Agave salmiana plantations for pulque production in Los Reyes Metzontla community It is important to highlight that most of the producers are women that learned the production process from their mothers tolonche was a fermented beverage in this region that was mainly produced by women known as toloncheras This product gave the women economic incomes The current producers that remain argue that it is important that their families know how to produce this beverage so they are teaching their kids and other interested people in the community both producers started the production because of its symbolic association with family relationships and a sense of belonging to the community they also point out that the main reason for the disappearance of this beverage is the easiness with which they can acquire other beverages that are accessible in the local store such as soda or beer the production of this beverage involves time for its production It is important to highlight the incorporation of other knowledges as the use of A although the production of this mescal is not yet expanded it might be gradually incorporated to local knowledge for future productions this issue has been a significant pressure in the marginalization of fermented products worldwide the production of tolonche in Zapotitlán Salinas has been dramatically reduced due to the low communication between parents and children and the decrease in oral and daily practical experiences the last tolonchera in Chazumba is trying in recent years to transmit this knowledge and maintain the beverage through different channels such as local festivities the maintenance of this oral transmission might allow the continuity of this product In Peru, different uses of S. molle have been recorded, such as the use of the leaves to combat ophthalmia (or “eye clouds”) and rheumatism. Similarly, the trunk sap is also consumed as a purgative or diuretic remedy, while at the skin level it is used as an ointment for leg pain or swelling. Also, the bark is used as a dye because yellow color is obtained from it, although there is not much information about its production (Kramer, 1957) It might be possible that the loss of all these applications of S molle might be due to the lack of oral transmission from the Peruvian locality through Mexican territory molle seeds as a substitute for sugar in the localities might highlight the knowledge that the locals have of their environment Human cultural groups develop several strategies with the resources surrounding them and the diversification and incorporation of different substrates to produce traditional fermented beverages in Mexico have been historically common This can be seen throughout the fermented products of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley here a constant exploration of the production of these beverages has maintained keystone products made from agave plants—such as pulque and mescal—and has promoted the incorporation of other species as S officinarum as a way of diversifying and innovating pulque preparations and promoting a resilient fermented landscape traditional fermented products are silently disappearing from the foodscapes The lack of reproduction from generation to generation of this knowledge constrains the maintenance of these complex foodscapes Tolonche was a beverage that contributed to regional pride and cultural identity Local efforts to revive this beverage reflect a strong relationship with the cultural heritage due to the lack of access to the means of sugar cane production this beverage's revival is compromised The detailed documentation and description of the preparation of these beverages is an effort to revive traditions around food systems and contribute to the rescuing of the know-how for producing of these beverages to help future generations cope with food security and sovereignty graduate of the Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas at the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES) MV is a full-time researcher at Jardín Botánico The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors Written informed consent was obtained from the individuals for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article and reviewed all versions of the manuscript All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version This research received financial support from the Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica The authors thank the Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas and the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología CONACYT for supporting the Ph.D we thank Iván Felipe Galíndez Ortegón for recording the process with outstanding photographs We especially thank people from the localities of Zapotitlan and Chazumba for their hospitality Most importantly for tolonche knowledge for preservation and sharing We particularly thank Lucila Flores Pimentel who is the older keeper and sharer of tolonche production and her daughter Maribel Morales Flores and his local group Aprendiendo a vivir for active participation in local heritage revivals we want to thank Noé Barragán for pulque production experience and for sharing this amazing beverage and his brother Fernando Barragán for all the knowledge around mescal production The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar African traditional fermented foods and probiotics PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Handmade comal tortillas in michoacán: traditional practices along the rural-urban gradient Sensory profile and acceptance of maize tortillas by rural and urban consumers in Mexico Google Scholar Google Scholar Sociology on the Menu: An Invitation to the Study of Food and Society Google Scholar Plant management in the tehuacán-cuicatlán valley The microbiota and health promoting characteristics of the fermented beverage kefir Google Scholar Google Scholar Plant-based traditional foods and beverages of Ramotswa Village Review of Tarahumara of the Sierra Madre: beer Google Scholar Google Scholar phenotypic patterns and domestication of Polaskia chichipe (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán Valley CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar domesticación de plantas y origen de la agricultura en Mesoamérica “In situ management and conservation of plant resources in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley Mexico: An ethnobotanical and ecological perspective,” in Current Topics in Ethnobotany Plant resources of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley Cross-cultural adaptation in urban ethnobotany: the Colombian folk pharmacopoeia in London Chaves-López Traditional fermented foods and beverages from a microbiological and nutritional perspective: the Colombian heritage Caregivers' knowledge and use of fermented foods for infant and young children feeding in a rural community of odi Health and Microbial Ecology of Traditional Fermented Foods in Zambia Google Scholar Dávila P Biological diversity in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar In praise of complexity: from gastronomy to gastrology PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar de Albuquerque Re-examining hypotheses concerning the use and knowledge of medicinal plants: a study in the Caatinga vegetation of NE Brazil De Sahagún El México antiguo: selección y reordenación de la Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España de fray Bernardino de Sahagún y de los informantes indígenas Google Scholar abundance and traditional management of Agave potatorum in the Tehuacán Valley Mexico: Bases for sustainable use of non-timber forest products do Rosário Martins antimicrobial and toxicological properties of Schinus molle L Toward a global ecology of fermented foods CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar a traditional Mexican alcoholic fermented beverage: historical management and domestication of 'maguey alto'(Agave inaequidens) and 'maguey manso'(A Fermentation and the ethnobiology of microbial entanglement CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Archaic Foraging and Early Agriculture in Oaxaca Google Scholar Google Scholar Garcíadiego, R. H. (2005). El secreto tecnológico del sitema Hidroagroecológico más antigui de Mesoamérica. El Complejo Purrón. México: Alternativas A.C. Available online at: http://www.alternativas.org.mx/El%20Complejo%20de%20Purron.pdf (accessed September 1 Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems Google Scholar Más allá del Pulque y el Tepache: Las Bebidas Alcohólicas no Destiladas Indígenas de México Google Scholar González-Centeno Comparison between malolactic fermentation container and barrel toasting effects on phenolic Timing and rate of speciation in Agave (Agavaceae) The effect of container types on the growth of bacteria during kimchi fermentation Developing “subject fields” in culinary arts CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar the ancestral fermented beverage of the Wichí people of the Gran Chaco I: a detailed recipe and a thorough analysis of the process CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Effect of fermentation container and thickness of bean mass during fermentation process of cocoa bean (Theobroma cocoa L),” in Proceedings of The Annual International Conference Syiah Kuala University-Life Sciences & Engineering Chapter Google Scholar A food systems approach to researching food security and its interactions with global environmental change CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Cuisine and conquest: Interdisciplinary perspectives on food continuity and change in 11th Century England and beyond,” in The Archaeology of the 11th Century (London: Routledge) Google Scholar Kerr, J. (2010). Archive of Roll out Photographs Created by Justin Kerr. Available online at: http://research.mayavase.com/kerrmaya.html (accessed September 9 Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Has beverage composition of alcohol consumption in Sweden changed over time microbianos y químicos del tesgüino tarahumara Google Scholar “Lecciones del oro verde: café en Brasil (siglo XIX) y aguacate en México (siglo XX y XXI),” in Biodiversidad Servicios Ecosistémicos y los Objetivos del Desarrollo Sostenible en México Google Scholar The local impact of globalization: worker health and safety in Mexico's sugar industry global markets and small-scale family enterprises: the case of mezcal production in Oaxaca CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar López-Galindo Análisis integral de la toposecuencia y su influencia en la distribución de la vegetación y la degradación del suelo en la Subcuenca de Zapotitlán Salinas Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana 56 “On the derivation and reading of the ‘ben-ich' prefix,” in Mesoamerican Writing Systems (Washington Google Scholar “A summary of the subsistence,” in The prehistory of the Tehuacan Valley Google Scholar Juniper beer in Poland: the story of the revival of a traditional beverage CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Fermented beverages and their health benefits,” in Fermented Beverages PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Fermented beverages with health-promoting potential: past and future perspectives CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Ancestral fermented indigenous beverages from South America made from cassava (Manihot esculenta) Google Scholar Agroforestry systems: restoration of semiarid zones in the Tehuacán Valley CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Traditional fermented beverages of Mexico: A biocultural unseen foodscape Constructing micro-landscapes: Management and selection practices on microbial communities in a traditional fermented beverage Traditional management of microorganisms in fermented beverages from cactus fruits in Mexico: An ethnobiological approach El aguardiente de caña en México Google Scholar “The gene pool of saccharum species and their improvement,” in Genomics of the Saccharinae Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models Pérez-Armendáriz Traditional fermented beverages in Mexico: Biotechnological Pérez-Negrón Use of columnar cacti in the Tehuacán Valley Mexico: perspectives for sustainable management of non-timber forest products Physicochemical and microbiological characterization of chicha a rice-based fermented beverage produced by Umutina Brazilian Amerindians Facilitation of Agave potatorum: An ecological approach for assisted population recovery CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Rebaza-Cardenas “Masato de Yuca” and “Chicha de Siete Semillas” two traditional vegetable fermented beverages from peru as source for the isolation of potential probiotic bacteria Renard, M. C., and Thomé, H. (2016). Cultural heritage and food identity: The pre-Hispanic salt of Zapotitlán Salinas, Mexico. Cult. Hist. Digit. J. 5, 20–150. Available online at: https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/3161822 Google Scholar Rendón-Sandoval Traditional agroforestry systems and conservation of native plant diversity of seasonally dry tropical forests Dietary behaviours in the context of nutrition transition: a systematic review and meta-analyses in two African countries “The transmission of traditional ecological knowledge,” in Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Concepts and Cases ON: International Program on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and International Development Research Centre) PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar Google Scholar Some thoughts on the economic history of early colonial Mexico CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Sánchez-Pimienta Sugar-sweetened beverages are the main sources of added sugar intake in the Mexican population Functional genomics for food fermentation processes foam and fermentation in Mesoamerica: Bubbles and the sacred state of inebriation CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Dietary cultures and antiquity of fermented foods and beverages Functional properties of microorganisms in fermented foods A Review on fruit and vegetable fermented beverage-benefits of microbes and beneficial effects CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Population dynamics and sustainable management of mescal agaves in central Mexico: Agave potatorum in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley Torres-García The genus Agave in agroforestry systems of Mexico CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar UNESCO (2012). Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. UNESCO. Available online at: https://es.unesco.org/node/302536 Google Scholar Valadez-Blanco a traditional beverage of the Mexican highlands Valiente-Banuet Guía de la vegetación del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia Google Scholar Valiente-Banuet La vegetación del valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valiente-Banuet Pollination biology of two winter-blooming giant columnar cacti in the Tehuacán Valley Agroforestry systems of the lowland alluvial valleys of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve: an evaluation of their biocultural capacity Agroforestry systems of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: land use for biocultural diversity conservation Why Surinamese migrants in the Netherlands continue to use medicinal herbs from their home country “International recognition of the biocultural protection in dryland regions: The world heritage property in the tehuacán-cuicatlán biosphere reserve,” in Stewardship of Future Drylands and Climate Change in the Global South Martínez-Tagüeña (Cham: Springer Climate) Google Scholar Fermentation-a traditional anti-diarrhoeal practice lost The use of fermented foods in urban and rural Kenya Vallejo M and Casas A (2023) Disappearance and survival of fermented beverages in the biosphere reserve Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Received: 12 October 2022; Accepted: 28 December 2022; Published: 01 February 2023 Copyright © 2023 Ojeda-Linares, Vallejo and Casas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Mariana Vallejo, bWFyaWFuYS52YWxsZWpvQGliLnVuYW0ubXg= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Around 100 investors in a Mexican crypto trading bot scheme that promised “daily payouts” and claimed to operate its own “crypto credit card” have filed an official complaint with public prosecutors after the firm disappeared As reported by Milenio Tehuacán and Puebla-based AMG GPT allegedly lured more than 3,000 people into buying trading bots — with prices starting at 400 pesos — “for a set time period” in return for seemingly guaranteed returns while some users initially reported making money from their investments the regular payouts didn’t last and many started to report “constant delays” when trying to access their funds They were apparently told by AMG staff that they would need to “pay verification fees” if they wanted to access their money and when users attempted to visit the company in person they found all four of its offices shuttered “The offices in Tehuacán have completely disappeared “Although some supposed ‘leaders’ have been identified they have also claimed to be victims of fraud They state that they do not know who is responsible for the scheme.” AMG also ran numerous promotional events and giveaways including raffles that were supposedly giving away iPhones and Teslas Read more: Austrian crypto scammers blew thousands on clubbing, hookers, shark tank the company issued a statement that claimed the delays were caused by a “shopping festival” event that would provide investors with “generous rewards,” however users simply claimed that this muddied the waters further It also said that worried users were required to apply for a special credit card called “Crypto-VISA.” people who purchased these cards have since reported that they were asked for codes that drained their accounts It’s thought that AMG collapsed when it was unable to sustain the influx of new investors drawn in by recommendations from existing users who had benefitted — or thought they had benefitted — from the scheme “It is urgent that this information be known that the authorities take action on the matter They got a lot of people into a lot of trouble they are turning a blind eye and are running away with all the money.” Codigo DH Comité de Defensa Integral de Derechos Humanos 2025 will mark 15 years since the murders of Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola defenders of human rights killed in San Juan Copala Oaxaca while participating in a humanitarian caravan that arrived to help indigenous communities those responsible for the crime continue to go unpunished the artist exhibition “Seeds that Bloom” continues its journey as an homage to struggle and as a tool to demand justice which includes 29 pieces in different artistic forms (paintings and international artists to make visible the importance of defending human rights and demanding justice AN INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR MEMORY AND JUSTICE the exhibition has traveled through different cities and countries it arrived at the European Parliament in Strasbourg it has been accompanied by a campaign to raise awareness in collaboration with different organizations in the Basque Country the exhibition arrived in Tampere and Helsinki where it was presented in various locations an international event where thousands of people could learn the story of Bety and Juri and their fight for justice “Seeds that Bloom” has been presented in Oaxaca as a space of memory and a demand for justice the exhibition will be shown in the Universidad Iberoamericana in Puebla joining the international campaign in the defense of human rights “Seeds that Bloom” will arrive in Tehuacán This new presentation seeks to bring the memory of Bety and Jyri to more people strengthening the demand for justice and reflecting on the impunity that persists in Mexico presentations and panels on human rights will be held to discuss the participation of women in resistance and the international relation of solidarity The panel will be moderated by Omar Esparza the coordinator of the Indigenous Zapatista Agrarian Movement the families of Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola have brought the case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights due to the lack of advances by the Mexican judicial system Impunity not only revictimizes their families but also represents a danger for everyone defending human rights in the country “Seeds that Bloom” is not only an artist exhibit but is also a manifestation of resistance and memory it seeks to raise awareness and mobilize society to demand truth and justice and general society to share this message so that impunity does not become a social cancer that continues to destroy our society more than 300 women and girls participated in the 30th edition of the annual five-kilometer Tortilla Race on Sunday in the state of Puebla The Carrera de la Tortilla began in the heart of Tehuacán and finished in the community of Santa María Coapan — known as the “Tortilla Capital” for its handmade corn tortillas of a size and texture different from most others Among the community’s population of 10,000 women, approximately 50% participate in the preparation of tortillas. Most of the women are of Nahua origin The satchels of tortillas weighed between one and six kilograms and some of the runners also carried their babies in a rebozo The race honors the four to five kilometers that the women walk every day to reach the markets of central Tehuacán in addition to walking the streets to sell their tortillas and other snacks Some of the “Coapeñitas” — women from Santa María Coapan — ran with sandals In 2023, the winner was a 12-year-old girl, but this year the winner was 50-year-old Margarita Felipa Flores of the veterans category Carrying three kilos of tortillas on her back Flores returned to the race after sitting out for 10 years stressing that “anything is possible if one wants it.” She also asked for unity in the community so that the tradition of the race can continue the race was in danger of being called off due to a dispute between members of the Coapan community and government officials in the Tehuacán municipality Community members claimed the Tehuacán City Council had appropriated the tradition of the race and attempted to “folklorize” it to attract tourism Many of the participants wear huipiles with embroidered flowers and colored threads with a wide skirt and an apron tied at the waist With more and more spectators and outside runners showing up every year organizers had to add a new “recreational category” last year to prevent a non-local from taking an award away from one of the local participants Coapan residents filed a complaint saying that the community should once again organize the Tortilla Race A district court made a provisional ruling in their favor based on the Federal Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities said that when municipal authorities took over the planning a committee made up of women from Santa María Coapan organized this year’s race Nicolás Gutiérrez said the race represents “the pride of being from” Coapan and the craft of processing corn every day and marketing their products in Tehuacán “How we carry out this craft is how our ancestors handed it down to us.” She also explained that the trial is still ongoing and that municipal authorities are doing their best to discredit the women in their attempts to seize control of the race the Tehuacán City Council held back funds for this year’s race instead allocating that money to the municipality’s Corn Festival The municipality used to schedule the corn festival to coincide with the race “What a shame for the mestizo [Spanish-Indigenous mixed race] authorities,” one person posted as a comment in the news magazine Proceso “They want to control everything to fill their pockets and they push aside the owners of the ancient culture.” ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development Our Partners Donate Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information is the arid or semi-arid zone with the richest biodiversity in all of North America it is one of the main centres of diversification for the cacti family The valley harbours the densest forests of columnar cacti in the world shaping a unique landscape that also includes agaves Archaeological remains demonstrate technological developments and the early domestication of crops The valley presents an exceptional water management system of canals which has allowed for the emergence of agricultural settlements qui fait partie de la région méso-américaine est la zone aride ou semi-aride la plus riche en biodiversité de toute l’Amérique du Nord Composé de trois éléments - Zapotitlán-Cuicatlán ce bein est l'un des principaux centres de diversification de la famille des cactus La vallée abrite notamment les forêts de cactus tubulaires les plus denses de la planète qui modèlent un paysage unique également composé d’agaves Les traces archéologiques révèlent par ailleurs un processus d'évolution technique qui reflète la domestication précoce des végétaux La vallée présente un système exceptionnel de gestion de l'eau constitué de canaux d'aqueducs et de barrages qui sont les plus anciens du continent et ont permis la sédentarisation de communautés vivant de l'agriculture The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán: originary habitat of Mesoamerica is located in central-southern Mexico at the southeast of the State of Puebla and north of the State of Oaxaca The property is a serial site of some 145,255 ha composed of three components: Zapotitlán-Cuicatlán All these share the same buffer zone of some 344,932 ha The entire property is located within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve The property coincides with a global biodiversity hotspot and lies within an arid or semiarid zone with one of the highest levels of biological diversity in North America giving rise to human adaptations crucial to the emergence of Mesoamerica one of the cradles of civilisation in the world 15 different xeric shrublands are exclusive to the Tehuacán- Cuicatlán Valley The valley includes representatives of a remarkable 70% of worldwide flora families and includes over 3,000 species of vascular plants of which 10% are endemic to the Valley It is also a global centre of agrobiodiversity and diversification for numerous groups of plants with 28 genera and 86 species of which 21 are endemic Large “cacti-forests” shape some landscapes of the Valley making it one of the most unique areas in the world The property exhibits the impressively high levels of faunal diversity known in this region including very high levels of endemism among mammals It also hosts an unusually high number of threatened species with some 38 listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The property is one of the richest protected areas in Mexico in terms of terrestrial mammals (134 species registered The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley is part of the Balsas Region and Interior Oaxaca Endemic Bird Area (EBA) The property has eight known roosting areas of the threatened Green Macaw including a breeding colony combined with the adverse conditions of a desert gave rise to one of the largest and best documented cultural sequences in the Americas The archaeological evidence reveals the long sequence of human adaptations that took place in the area for over 12,000 years The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley is an exceptional example of a long process of adaptations and ancient technological evolution that defined the cultural region known today as Mesoamerica The arid conditions of the Valley triggered innovation and creativity originating two of the major technological advances of human history: 1) plant domestication which in the Valley is one of the most ancient worldwide and 2) development of water management technologies resulting in a wide array of water management elements aqueducts and dams which make it the most diversified ancient irrigation complex of the continent water management technological features were the ruling guide for the civilisational process that was developed in the Valley throughout thousands of years these technological advances had a multiplying effect and fostered the discovery of other innovations like salt industry and pottery which were essential to the organisation and complexity of the first civilisations The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica is an invaluable and irreplaceable heritage of humanity Criterion (iv): The technological ensemble of water management of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley along with other archaeological evidences such as the remains found in caves mark a stage of the utmost importance for the Mesoamerican region: the appearance and development of one of the oldest civilisations in the world these technologies bear unique evidence of the constant adaptation of humans to the environment and reflect their innovative capacity to face the adverse environmental conditions in the area Criterion (x): The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley demonstrates exceptional levels of biological diversity in an arid and semiarid zone in North America A remarkable 70% of worldwide floral families are represented in the Valley and the area is one of the main centres of diversification for the cacti family A remarkable diversity of cacti exists within the property often in exceptional densities of up to 1,800 columnar cacti per hectare The property exhibits particularly high diversity among other plant types it hosts one of the highest animal biodiversity levels in a dryland at least with regard to taxa such as amphibians The property coincides with one of the most important protected areas worldwide for the conservation of threatened species encompassing over 10% of the global distribution range of four amphibian species and is ranked as the one of the two most important protected areas in the world for the conservation of seven amphibian and three bird species The biodiversity of this region has a long history of sustaining human development and today a third of the total diversity of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley The property is of sufficient overall size and contains the key representative habitats and plant communities of the floristic province Tehuacán-Cuicatlán and all the relevant cultural elements that convey its Outstanding Universal Value The three components include relatively undisturbed areas of high conservation value and the 22 selected archaeological sites and are embedded within a larger buffer zone all of which coincides with the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve Further protection is afforded by the biosphere reserve’s larger transitional zone The management systems in place addresses the various threats to the area and establish objectives strategies and specific actions in coordination with key local national and international stakeholders in order to deal with these threats including any adverse effects of development The component sites still maintain their original condition with the obvious weathering deteriorating effects of time over millennia but without any major disturbance in their main physical and spiritual attributes the sites are still unaltered and the system of sites as a whole has been preserved The property Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica has effective legal protection to ensure the maintenance of its Outstanding Universal Value The archaeological sites not yet listed in the national registry of the National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) At the time of inscription the property had a recently updated Strategic Management Plan which aims to integrate the management of natural heritage with archaeological features through a series of interrelated objectives The plan provides a description of natural and cultural assets within the framework of a mixed World Heritage property and prescribes additional measures for the conservation and management of intangible cultural heritage such as linguistic diversity and communities’ sustainable development The institutions in charge of implementing protective measures are the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) the Federal Attorney General for Environmental Protection and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) For monitoring of biodiversity the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity and the National Forestry Commission coordinate with CONANP All these institutions work together with the Administration Office of the Tehuacán- Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve Ongoing efforts are needed to ensure full integration and institutional coordination across issues related to natural and cultural heritage in accordance with the respective mandates of CONANP and INAH The National Institute of Anthropology and History through the National Coordination for Archaeology is committed to provide the periodical reports on management research and monitoring on cultural heritage Both managing institutions are actively working with local communities and efforts to strengthen these approaches are ongoing The Heart of Agriculture Invention in America Rod Waddington / CC / Flickr We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Search Logo for Cambridge Core from Cambridge University Press. Click to return to homepage. BrowseServicesOpen researchInstitution LoginSearchMenu links Archaeological studies at Coxcatlan Cave in the Tehuacan Valley of southern Puebla have been instrumental to the development of the chronology for the region and for our understanding of the origins of food production in the Americas This article refines the Preceramic chronology of the Tehuacan Valley by presenting 14 new accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon ages from faunal bone samples uncovered from early depositional levels of the rock shelter Although bones associated with the El Riego (9893–7838 cal BP) and Abejas (6375–4545 cal BP) phase zones of the cave yielded ages similar to those of the previously proposed chronology for the region bones from the Ajuereado phase zones at the base of the cave yielded surprisingly old ages that range from 33,448 to 28,279 cal BP Because these early ages are many thousands of years older than current models estimate for the peopling of the Americas they require reassessments of the artifacts and ecofacts excavated from these early zones Los estudios arqueológicos en la Cueva Coxcatlán en el Valle de Tehuacán en el sur de Puebla han sido fundamentales para el desarrollo de la cronología de la región y para nuestra comprensión de los orígenes de la agricultura del Nuevo Mundo Este estudio tiene como objetivo refinar la cronología precerámica del Valle de Tehuacán presentando 14 nuevas edades de radiocarbono por AMS en muestras de huesos de fauna recuperadas de los primeros niveles de depósito de la cueva Mientras que los huesos de las zonas de las fases El Riego (9893–7838 BP) produjeron edades similares a estudios previos los huesos de las zonas de la fase Ajuereado arrojaron edades sorprendentemente antiguas que van desde 33,448 a 28,279 cal BP una época anterior al Último Máximo Glacial Debido a que estas edades tempranas son miles de años más antiguas que las estimaciones de los modelos actuales para el poblamiento de América se requieren reevaluaciones de los artefactos y ecofactos excavados en estas zonas tempranas Map displaying the location of Coxcatlan Cave within the Tehuacan Valley (photograph by Andrew Somerville) In an effort to reassess the Preceramic sequence of Coxcatlan Cave and refine the chronology of the Tehuacan Valley this article presents 14 new 14C radiocarbon ages produced by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) of faunal bones excavated from the rock shelter by the TABP We compare our resulting radiocarbon ages with previously published radiocarbon data from the cave and construct a chronological Bayesian model of the phases of the Preceramic sequence we pay particular attention to the age estimates and archaeological context from the Ajuereado phase zones (XXVIII–XXIII) at the bottom of the cave Here we provide a brief summary of the material and behavioral correlates The human population was very small in the valley and residents were likely organized into microbands composed of small family groups but they were larger in size and may have been occupied for a greater portion of the year we excluded multiple specimens for our phase model according to the following considerations Markers represent the median age and error bars display the 95.4% range argyrosperma) exhibited a 14C age of 470 ± 40 BP and El Riego phase zones of Coxcatlan Cave Bars below distributions represent calibrated 95.4% probability ranges The outlier date (I-651) is indicated by “?” Gray rectangles indicate the temporal range of phases defined by median values of the probability ranges for phase boundary transitions Bayesian model dates from the Early Ajuereado phase zones Bars below distributions represent the 95.4% probability ranges Results of AMS Radiocarbon Dating with Associated Sample Information but here we shorten it by approximately 400 years to 7838–6375 cal BP with a proportional lengthening of the subsequent Abejas phase Our results from AMS analyses on samples from Zones XXVI and XXV indicate that the Early Ajuereado period was more consistent with MacNeish's later estimates Counts of the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) of Vertebrate Fauna Recovered from the Early Ajuereado Phase of Coxcatlan Cave (Zones XXVIII–XXV) Source: Data from Flannery Reference Flannery and Byers1967:Tables 15 and 16 mostly excavated from a single 1 × 1 m square unit within the Early Ajuereado deposits suggesting they represented the butchered remains of jackrabbits acquired through hunting drives The presence of bone breakage and evidence of thermal alterations to the bones further suggested that they had been processed by humans Chipped-Stone Artifacts from the Early Ajuereado Phase Zones of Coxcatlan Cave Source: Data from MacNeish et al. Reference MacNeish, Nelken-Terner and Johnson1967 Reassessing the original collection will be an essential step in testing the presence of a pre-LGM occupation of Coxcatlan Cave Although our new radiocarbon ages from the Late Ajuereado zones of Coxcatlan Cave remain only tentatively associated with human activities they join this list of potential pre-Clovis sites from Mexico More studies are needed before the Early Ajuereado phase zones can be considered to be the result of human occupation the earliest directly dated human remains in Mexico come from an individual discovered from the submerged Hoyo Negro cave in Quintana Roo with a radiocarbon age of 10,976 ± 20 (12,910–11,750 cal BP) This date is approximately 20,000 years younger than the radiocarbon ages from the Early Ajuereado phase deposits at Coxcatlan Cave It remains possible that the Pleistocene fauna of the Early Ajuereado phase zones at Coxcatlan Cave were already within the rock shelter for thousands of years prior to human arrival and that early human activities disturbed the deposits mixing human artifacts with older sediments Assessing directly dated faunal skeletal remains for cut marks or other signs of human manipulation will serve as the most productive avenue for resolving this question The fauna and artifacts then tentatively suggest a Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene range for the Late Ajuereado phases given that the newly calibrated date range for the charcoal specimen I-676 falls between 10,117 and 8337 cal BP (using the IntCal20 calibration curve) its age can be temporally positioned after the El Riego phase which according to the Bayesian model presented here occurred sometime between 9893 and 7838 cal BP This radiocarbon sample is thus still consistent with previous estimates for the age of the Late Ajuereado period The radiocarbon age produced from the charcoal sample of Zone XXIV (I-460) remains out of sequence because of its younger-than-expected date and 11,000 ± 400 BP (M-2094)—which together calibrate to a 95.4% probability range of 13,794–12,665 cal BP These ages are similar to the tephra dates for the Santa Isabel II mammoth (14,500–10,800 BP) with the associated Lerma point and we suggest the Late Ajuereado occupations at Coxcatlan Cave may have been similar in age then the Late Ajuereado zones would date to approximately 13,500–9900 cal BP and a gap of approximately 7,500 years (~28,000–13,500 cal BP) would remain in the occupation of the cave between the Early and Late Ajuereado phases This gap roughly corresponds to the period of the LGM must remain uncertain until additional radiocarbon ages are produced from these zones Because many of the stone tools associated with these early levels are only minimally worked and the antiquity of the ages places these stratigraphic layers many thousands of years before traditional hypotheses posit the arrival of humans in North America the identity of these objects as tools remains questionable the observations that the faunal remains appear to have been processed by humans and that several stone tools exhibit retouching provide support for the notion of a pre-LGM occupation of Coxcatlan Cave during the Early Ajuereado phase The radiocarbon ages produced from this study mandate a careful reconsideration of the materials recovered from these zones including a close inspection of the chipped-stone tools and an analysis of faunal material to document breakage patterns The results of this study and those of future reanalyses have important implications for our understanding of several important issues in the archaeology of the New World the timing and causes of the megafaunal extinctions We thank the editors and three anonymous reviewers for their comments and critiques which greatly improved the quality of this article The research was carried out while Andrew Somerville was supported by a UCMEXUS-CONACYT Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (#1901618) and the Wenner Gren Foundation (Gr and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these institutions All original data produced as part of this study are presented in Table 1 To view supplemental material for this article, please visit https://doi.org/10.1017/laq.2021.26 All Uncalibrated And Calibrated Radiocarbon Ages from Coxcatlan Cave Calibrated and Modeled Radiocarbon Ages for the Coxcatlan Preceramic Sequence Scatterplot of calibrated 14C ages and their associated stratigraphic zones Charcoal and botanical samples are from previous studies (Johnson and MacNeish 1972; Buckley and Willis 1969; Kaplan and Lynch 1999; Smith 2005) - No HTML tags allowed- Web page URLs will display as text only- Lines and paragraphs break automatically- Attachments Your email address will be used in order to notify you when your comment has been reviewed by the moderator and in case the author(s) of the article or the moderator need to contact you directly shared ownership in or any close relationship with any organisation whose interests may be affected by the publication of the response Please also list any non-financial associations or interests (personal religious or other) that a reasonable reader would want to know about in relation to the submitted work This pertains to all the authors of the piece Archaeologists have obtained radiocarbon dates for the faunal bones excavated from Coxcatlan Cave a dry rock shelter located within the southern portion of the Tehuacan Valley The dates for the bone samples from the early depositional levels of the cave ranged from 33,448 to 28,279 years old a rock shelter located within the southern portion of the Tehuacan Valley in Mexico Coxcatlan Cave is a north-facing dry rockshelter site in the southern portion of the Tehuacan Valley along the alluvial slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental The cave is several meters above the valley floor on a low bluff It extends approximately 30 m in length and 8 m in width archaeologists previously excavated to a maximum depth of 4 m documenting 28 horizontal stratigraphic levels The zones occupied by people who did not make or use pottery are the earliest levels of the rock shelter These zones have been divided into four cultural phases — the Ajuereado and Abejas phases — based on changes in the stone tool technology The earliest evidence for human occupation in the Tehuacan Valley occurred during the Ajuereado phase “Even though previous studies had not dated items from the bottom of Coxcatlan Cave, we were not expecting such old ages,” said Dr. Andrew Somerville a researcher in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Iowa State University “The findings add to the debate over a long-standing theory that the first humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge into the Americas 13,000 years ago.” “We weren’t trying to weigh in on this debate or even find really old samples We were just trying to situate our agricultural study with a firmer timeline,” he added “We were surprised to find these really old dates at the bottom of the cave and it means that we need to take a closer look at the artifacts recovered from those levels.” Somerville and colleagues selected a sample of 17 bones — eight lagomorphs (hares and rabbits) and nine deer specimens — from the Ajuereado levels of Coxcatlan Cave for radiocarbon dating The findings provide the researchers with a better understanding of the chronology of the region is there a human link to the bottom layer of the cave where the bones were found “If closer examination of the bones provides evidence of a human link it will change what we know about the timing and how the first people came to America,” Dr “Pushing the arrival of humans in North America back to over 30,000 years ago would mean that humans were already in North America prior to the period of the Last Glacial Maximum when the Ice Age was at its absolute worst.” “Large parts of North America would have been inhospitable to human populations The glaciers would have completely blocked any passage over land coming from Alaska and Canada which means people probably would have had to come to the Americas by boats down the Pacific coast.” The results appear in the journal Latin American Antiquity New AMS Radiocarbon Ages from the Preceramic Levels of Coxcatlan Cave Mexico: A Pleistocene Occupation of the Tehuacan Valley Mexican sparkling natural mineral water now sold at Texas 7-Eleven and Stripes stores J3 Distributors announced the arrival of Tehuacán Brillante sparkling natural mineral water at Texas 7-Eleven and Stripes stores in time for fall 2019 Since its winter 2018 debut in Central Market grocery stores Tehuacán Brillante has become a favorite with Texas drinkers seeking a more authentic sparkling natural mineral water experience "Americans are moving beyond the expected choices in search of something authentic and natural" said A We call it a natural chill; a feeling of being reconnected with a time and place as natural as ancient Mexico." Americans are moving beyond the expected choices in search of something authentic and natural” said A We call it a natural chill; a feeling of being reconnected with a time and place as natural as ancient Mexico The family-owned Mexican brand chose J3 to bring its signature beverage to America without compromising their commitment to traditional sourcing and quality Tehuacán Brillante is sourced from springs within Citlaltépetl Water from Citlaltépetl's glacier-topped peak is naturally mineralized during an eight-year journey through the mountain's rich volcanic rock where the legend of Tehuacán's calming water was born Tehuacán Brillante is then infused with effervescence for a crisp mouthfeel and extra-dry refreshment Tehuacán Brillante is now available in 20oz bottles at Texas 7-Eleven stores and Stripes locations About Tehuacán Brillante  Tehuacán Brillante was founded December 14 1983 by Germán García Pendás in the valley of Tehuacán in Puebla About J3 Distributors LLC J3 Distributors LLC is the exclusive importer and distributor of Tehuacán Brillante sparkling natural mineral water in the USA Do not sell or share my personal information: UNESCO added 19 new places to its collection of World Heritage sites and Mexico gained yet another spot on that list While most tourists probably haven’t yet heard of the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley — Mexico’s new addition — there will surely be more interest in the destination as word spreads located in the central Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca is recognized as having North America’s richest biodiversity The centerpiece is the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve a 1.2-million-acre area that’s home to the world’s densest forest of columnar cacti as well as 85 species of reptiles and 338 species of birds are among the reasons why nature lovers are bound to find lots to interest them in this region Located within the biosphere is the Helio Bravo Hollis Botanical Garden where visitors can learn about the medicinal uses of local flora which includes more than 80 species of cacti they can whet their whistle at the Penafiel and Garci-Crespo natural springs which has a museum that recounts the history of the curative waters that have drawn visitors since the 15th century highlights the geological wealth of the region and pre-Hispanic archeological ruins provide a glimpse of the architectural and agricultural knowledge of early Mesoamerican inhabitants Tour Options The Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley will likely be included on more tour itineraries in the coming months; for now one of the few international operators that currently features the destination is Tia Stephanie Tours The company offers an eight-day Best of Puebla Tour that combines a guided visit to the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve with the chance to meet Mixtec palm weavers and explore the town of Los Reyes which is a popular center for pottery making Also included are visits to the city of Puebla; the pre-Hispanic site at Cholula; and Cuetzalan Another option is provided by Oaxaca-based Tierraventura This itinerary includes a stop at the biosphere reserve where petrified dinosaur footprints and fossilized seashells are among the reasons to visit The company also offers a two-day tour of the reserve that includes visits to Canyon del Sabino — home to the endangered green macaw — and the ruins of an ancient Zapotec settlement that still has a visible ball court Where to Stay and Where to EatFor travelers interested in visiting the valley the town of Tehuacan — which is the second-largest ity in the state of Puebla — is a logical hub for accommodations Noteworthy options include Gran Hotel Mexico a historic property that dates to 1898; Hotel Zenith with its contemporary lodging style; Aldea del Bazar which features a spa and temazcal; and Casa Cantarranas located next to the Penafiel natural springs Visitors can also find plenty of interesting and authentic dining options in the area a restaurant set on an 18th-century estate while Arrecifes is recommended for families since it has a playground A bit farther from the valley — and about two hours from Tehuacan — is the city of Puebla Top accommodation choices here include the luxurious Rosewood Puebla Another popular choice is the historic Quinta Real Puebla which is set in a former 16th-century convent if clients are looking for something more modern La Purificadora is a stylish boutique property that belongs to Grupo Habita UNESCO World Heritage sites are rarely disappointing for tourists And Mexico’s latest addition to that list is sure to please your outdoorsy clients The DetailsMexico Tourism Boardwww.visitmexico.com Tia Stephanie Tourswww.tiastephanietours.com Tierraventurawww.tierraventura.com Copyright © 2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000 It’s a few minutes before noon in Tehuacán My friend and I are meeting our guide Martín for a tour of…well…cacti My 15 years of working in the travel industry have rendered me a serious skeptic of most tour experiences and my internal judge is chattering a mile a minute: “The meeting point isn’t clear no one asked about food sensitivities even though lunch is included….” I shut my inner voice up with a simple “You’re in Mexico let it go” as we pull up to a nondescript bodega with Mountain Dew-colored walls park the car and start walking toward our guide’s location I spot him immediately – an unusually tall man (for these parts) wearing a straw cowboy hat an outfit quite practical for a day in the sun The day’s schedule had been sent to me in advance: A visit to Zapotitlán Salinas a UNESCO World Heritage Site; lunch at a small local restaurant in Tehuacán; time at a pottery studio in Los Reyes Metzontla; a walk at dusk through the Bosque de los Sotolines Each stop was to be followed by drives through the cactus reserve. I’m both intrigued and anxious. This is Day 4 of an action-packed 8-day road trip and not only am I tired but my ability to translate Spanish is hit-or-miss right now the accumulated items to be expected in a car destined for a road trip I take the back seat and change from sandals to sneakers as we make our way to the salt mines The Tehuacán-Cuicatlan Biosphere is a protected ecological reserve encompassing 145,255 hectares (359,000 acres) of dense cactus forest There are more than 2,500 reported species of cacti I become increasingly aware of how regal and imposing these plants can be protruding from the ground in clusters like candles on a rolling green birthday cake some spherical like beach balls and several resemble engorged stars and I find myself drifting between Martín’s explanations and this otherworldly land of alien flora We arrive at Zapotitlán Salinas and meet Juan Diego Juan Diego and his predominantly male team continue the tradition of artisanal salt production The team is small because the product’s price margin is too low to afford to pay more workers The salinas (salt flats) have been operating for over 2,000 years After buying myself an unnecessary kilo of salt we continue on to lunch which is set to include local treats: insects My friend and I politely but firmly clarify that despite our full understanding that bugs are considered a delicacy I feel at this point that adding my pseudo-veganism to the mix will further exacerbate the situation and resolve to eat around whatever meat I’m served the three of us hop back in the car for a visit to Los Reyes Metzontla blessing it with rich clay deposits that artisans use to make pottery accompanied by several children and a puppy who spend their days creating and selling stunning pieces of crockery in a variety of earthy colors.After showing us the step-by-step process What looks relatively simple is far from it my attempt at a bowl quickly turns into an ashtray and then back into a ball of clay I instead buy a gorgeous water jug to lug home The final stop is a walk through the Bosque de Sotolines named after the sotolín or Elephant Foot variety of tree Manuelo takes us on a journey through the medicinal psychedelic and cultural importance of a variety of greenery that I never knew existed We see agave plants the size of a small car leaves whose medicinal properties range from settling upset stomachs to getting rid of oral infections and thriving Elephant Foot trees that have been standing proud since long before Hernán Cortés’ arrival I am suddenly struck by the magnitude of what Mexico actually is; Mexico is everything it’s artisanal potters and it’s Carlos Slim It’s truly an incredible place and I’m here for all of it Where to stay: While the city of Tehuacán has significantly more options, we opted to stay at Hotel San Martín in Zapotitlán located on a lively little square with next to nothing to do after dark, because by the end of our journey through the biosphere How to book: Online at Bio Fan’s website or through Instagram My experience with the company was very positive they were easy to book with and provided excellent service Volume 11 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00863 The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley located at the southeast of the state of Puebla and the northeast of the state of Oaxaca in Central Mexico south of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) is of particular interest for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of arid and semi-arid environments being one of the main reservoirs of biological diversity for the arid zones of North America including the highest diversity of Agavaceae worldwide and high levels of endemism environmental history and population genetics of representative species will hopefully shed light on the evolutionary and ecological dynamics that generated the tremendous biodiversity and endemism of this important region in Mexico We sequenced three non-coding regions of chloroplast genome of Agave kerchovei a representative species of the Tehuacán Valley generating 2,188 bp from 128 individuals sampled from eight populations throughout the species range We used this data set to (i) characterize the levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure in A kerchovei; (ii) predict the distribution of A and to reconstruct the past geographical history of the species by constructing ecological niche models (ENM); and (iii) compare the levels of diversity in this species with those estimated for the widely distributed Agave lechuguilla Agave kerchovei has high levels of total chloroplast genetic variation (Hd = 0.718) especially considering that it is a species with a very restricted distribution intrapopulation diversity is low (zero in some populations) and genetic structure is high (FST = 0.928 which can be expected for endemic species with isolated populations Our data suggest that Pleistocene glacial cycles have played an important role in the distribution of A where the climatic variability of the region – likely associated with its topographic complexity – had a significant effect on the levels of genetic diversity and population dynamics while the potential distribution of the species seems to be stable since the middle Holocene (6 kya) kerchovei there is a core group of populations in the Tehuacán Valley and peripheric populations that appear to be evolving independently and thus the species is fundamentally an endemic species from the Tehuacán Valley while the populations outside the Valley appear to be in the process of incipient speciation suggesting that local plant communities were recently assembled Figure 1. (A) Population locations (names as in Table 1) and distribution of haplotypes in the different populations (B) Minimum-spanning network of the chloroplast haplotypes found in the eight populations of A The network represents the most parsimonious connections Each haplotype is represented by a circle whose surface is proportional to the number of individuals bearing it Lines between haplotypes indicate one mutational change Missing haplotypes in the sample are represented by dotted circles while each of the rest of the populations represent one different group Figure 2. Agave kerchovei from Villa Tamazulapám del Progreso, Oaxaca (P2 in Figure 1) herbarium samples for different localities are deposited at the MEXU Measures of genetic variation for the analyzed populations of Agave kerchovei Total DNA was extracted by grinding approximately 0.25 g of fresh leaf tissue in liquid nitrogen using a CTAB (2X) extraction protocol (Doyle and Doyle, 1987) and resuspended in 60 μl of ultrapure water (Molecular Biology Reagent; SIGMA) Three non-coding chloroplast (cpDNA) regions [psbJ-petA, rpl32-trnL (Shaw et al., 2007) and trnL-trnF (Taberlet et al., 1991)] were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced for 136 individuals The PCR amplifications were carried out in a GeneAmp® PCR system 2700 (Applied Biosystems) in total reaction volumes of 30 μl 1.5 mM MgCl2 (for primers rpl32-trnL and trnL-trnF) and 2 mM MgCl2 (for primer psbJ-petA) The cycling conditions consisted of an initial denaturation at 94°C for 5 min 55°C for 30 s (for primers rpl32-trnL and trnL-trnF) or 55°C for 50 s (for primer psbJ-petA) and 72°C for 1 min followed by a final extension at 72°C for 8 min PCR products were purified and sequenced in the High Throughput Genomic Unit The observed number of haplotypes with (h) and without indels (h∗), haplotype diversity (Hd), nucleotide diversity (π), and the Watterson estimator of theta (θ) for each population were obtained using the program DnaSP v5.10.1 (Librado and Rozas, 2009). These summary statistics were re-estimated for the populations of A. lechuguilla, reported by Scheinvar et al. (2017) We used the program Arlequin version 3.5 (Excoffier and Lischer, 2010) to estimate pairwise FST (Weir and Cockerham, 1984) between populations to test for isolation by distance with a Mantel test (Mantel, 1967) and to conduct a molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) (Excoffier et al., 1992). Finally, with the program PERMUT (Pons and Petit, 1996) we evaluated with 1000 permutations whether there was significant phylogeographic structure by estimating and comparing the differentiation parameters NST and GST We calculated Tajima’s D with DnaSP v5.10.1 (Librado and Rozas, 2009) to infer basic aspects of demographic histories. Tajima’s D (Tajima, 1989) statistic is based on the differences between the number of segregating sites and the average number of nucleotide differences Significant negative D (P < 0.05) statistic can indicate no neutrality All climate layers had a 30 arc-second resolution Distribution models were built with 20 replicates using 10,000 random background points Models were validated using 25% of the occurrence data using the receiver operating curve (ROC) statistic We evaluated the replicate models using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) where models with values below 0.8 were dismissed The remaining replicates models were combined to construct the present-day model and then projected into the past climate layers We followed the same modeling procedure to generate present-day distribution models for A lechuguilla using 97 unique occurrence localities at a 30 arc-second resolution the models were built after selecting eight layers corresponding to Annual Mean Temperature (bio 1) Mean Temperature of the Driest Quarter (bio 9) Mean Temperature of Warmest Quarter (bio 10) Mean Temperature of Coldest Quarter (bio 11) Precipitation of the Driest Month (bio 14) We used the resulting distribution models for A lechuguilla to visualize the changes in suitable climatic conditions (climate suitability) to which populations may have been subjected since the Last Interglacial period we extracted the climatic suitability values through time (i.e. PRE) for those grid-cells associated with the occurrence localities of sampled populations being 0 no suitability and 1 the maximum suitability To account for the possible bias of using a single grid cell to characterize the climate suitability of populations’ localities we generated 100 replicates of sample localities by adding random noise to the populations’ geographic coordinates within a buffer of ∼10 km2 (0.08°) centered on the sampling locality we estimated the half sample mode (HSM) of the suitability values across replicates to visualize the changes in climatic conditions through time We estimated the variance of environmental variables (i.e., climate and altitude) for sampled populations of A. kerchovei and A. lechuguilla (Scheinvar et al., 2017). We used the 19 climate layers obtained from the WorldClim database (Hijmans et al., 2005) and the GTOPO30 global digital elevation model (DEM) from the USGS-EROS Data Center we extracted the data for those grid-cells associated with the occurrence localities of sampled populations we accounted for the possible bias of using a single grid cell to characterize the environment of populations by generating 100 replicates of sampled localities Populations of A. lechuguilla were assigned into four different groups according to their geographic location and genetic composition (Scheinvar et al., 2017), whereas populations of A. kerchovei were treated as a single group (Table 1) We approximated the environmental variance by performing a Principal Component Analyses on populations’ environmental conditions and estimating the variance for the first two principal components We tested the correlation between environmental variance and genetic diversity (i.e. nucleotide and haplotype diversity) among the five groups of populations using simple linear regression we used the components of the environmental PCA as predictors and the indices of genetic diversity as response variables Total nucleotide diversity (π) was low (0.00078) with most populations having null nucleotide diversity The prevalence of private haplotypes within populations resulted in a high genetic differentiation (FST = 0.928) there are no significant differences comparing NST (0.943) vs suggesting lack of phylogeographic structure a Mantel test was not significant (data not shown) which suggests that there is no evidence of isolation by distance in A Results of analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of the analyzed populations of A The predictive performance of the bioclimatic models was adequate with an AUC > 0.82 across replicates. The projected distribution for A. kerchovei during the LIG shows the most restricted distribution across all the time periods analyzed, where ideal climate conditions for the species were geographically restricted to an area equivalent to 75% of the present-day distribution (Figure 3) the LGM witnessed a significant geographical expansion in the ideal climate conditions for A which were broadened by 522% relative to the present-day distribution The projected models then predicted a geographical contraction for A kerchovei during the MH (93% relative to the present-day) with this geographical extent remaining stable ever since Our models revealed two main areas that have remained more or less stable and isolated from each other: (1) the Tehuacán Valley in the North and (2) the Central Valleys of Oaxaca in the South Geographical projections of the ecological niche model for Agave kerchovei for the present-day and the Last Interglacial (LIG ∼110 kya) Shaded areas in past models represent the projected areas potentially inhabited by the species Black circles represent the populations sampled for the present study (eight populations) White circles represent the occurrence records used to construct the ecological niche models (37 records) Figure 4. Climatic suitability through time estimated across sampled populations of Agave kerchovei and A. lechuguilla using the projections of the species’ ecological niche models. (A) Distribution of climatic suitability values through time within the five groups of populations of Agave kerchovei and A. lechuguilla. (B) Climatic suitability values through time for the eight sampled populations of A. kerchovei. Population names as in Table 1 The first two components of the PCA on environmental variables for A kerchovei explained 46.18% and 21.07% of the total climatic variance The first PCA was most strongly positively correlated with annual precipitation whereas it showed the most negative correlation with summer temperature the second PCA was most positively correlated with winter precipitation and negatively with winter temperature and precipitation seasonality (data not shown) Environmental variance observed across sampled populations of Agave kerchovei and A (A,B) Environmental values in the two species of Agave obtained from the scores for the first two principal components of the environmental principal component analysis (PC1ENV (C,D) Relationship between environmental variance (PC1ENV and PC2ENV) and haplotype diversity estimated for the five groups of populations Dashed line depicts linear regression models Circle size is proportional to sample size (n) Principal component analyses of environmental preferences for Agave kerchovei and A and (B) loading plot for the first two principal components (PC1ENV nucleotide diversity did not show a significant correlation with environmental variance Pleistocene glacial cycles had an important role in the distribution of A and climatic variability appears to have had a significant effect on the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation among populations the species’ core distribution area within the Tehuacán Valley appears to have remained relatively stable over the last ∼6 kya whereas peripheric populations outside the Valley have been subjected to more climatic instability Genetic differentiation was high in A. kerchovei (FST = 0.928, GST = 0.824). High genetic structure using similar chloroplast sequences was also found in A. striata (FST = 0.929, GST = 0.697; Martínez-Ainsworth, 2013) and A. stricta (FST = 0.944, GST = 0.898; Martínez-Ainsworth, 2013), but it was lower in A. lechuguilla (GST = 0.780; Scheinvar, 2018; Scheinvar et al., 2017) suggesting that the environment is different and in consequence local adaptation could also differ In order to better asses the importance of asexual reproduction it will be relevant to use in the future nuclear DNA to better disentangle the roles of seed and clonal reproduction with a contraction in the MH and remaining stable until the present This differentiation could represent a process of incipient speciation which is the most isolated at the eastern and southernmost extreme of its distribution haplotype 2 is the most common and according to the network it can be considered as the ancestral haplotype suggesting this area could be the ancestral area of the distribution When we compare temporal variation in climatic suitability in A lechuguilla from the Chihuahuan Desert and in A we can appreciate temporal changes appear to be very different in northern populations of A but not in the southernmost populations of the species which show a climate suitability trend resembling the one observed for A We suggest that the Tehuacán Valley together with the southernmost portion of the Chihuahuan Desert have been regions with climatic conditions suitable for the survival of Agave species through the last 110,000 years Our results suggest that Pleistocene climate fluctuations and the resulting contraction and expansion of A kerchovei populations have led to changes in population sizes in which both genetic drift and the subsequent expansion of the distribution were probably important factors in generating the currently observed genetic structure The high environmental variance observed among populations of A kerchovei is reflected in high levels of among population differentiation probably due to the geographical isolation of populations within and outside the Tehuacán Valley topographic complexity through its effects on climatic variability appears to have a significant impact on the levels of genetic diversity and structure among populations kerchovei we have a core group of populations in the Tehuacán Valley and peripheric populations that seem to be evolving independently kerchovei is basically an endemic species from the Tehuacán Valley and that populations outside the Valley are in the process of incipient speciation Sequences were deposited at NCBI GenBank (KX444126–KX444129 genetic analysis and the design of some figures and helped in drafting and correcting sections of the manuscript RL-S contributed with logistics and ideas for the design of the project This work was funded by CONACYT Investigación Científica Básica 2011.167826 (clave de identificación oficial CB2011/167826) Genómica de poblaciones: estudios en el maíz silvestre by the Project “Conservación de semillas de plantas útiles de San Rafael MGU-Useful Plants Project México,” with the support of the Kew Botanical Gardens and by funding (operating budget) from the Instituto de Ecología We thank the Laboratorio de Evolución Molecular y Experimental of the Instituto de Ecología. We specially thank, Dra. Laura Espinosa Asuar and Silvia Barrientos for help in the laboratory, and Paulina Brena-Bustamante and Natalia Martínez for assisting in fieldwork, sample collection and providing the photograph (Figure 2) El Aprovechamiento y la Estructura Poblacional de Agave kerchovei LEM Google Scholar Aprovechamiento del escapo y los botones florales de Agave kerchovei en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Microsatellite primers in Agave utahensis (Asparagaceae) a keystone species in the mojave desert and colorado plateau Evidencias de cambio climático y ambiental en registros glaciales y en cuencas lacustres del centro de México durante el último máximo glacial Castellanos-Morales Peripatric speciation of an endemic species driven by Pleistocene climate change: the case of the Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus) TCS: a computer program to estimate gene genealogies Biological diversity in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley Google Scholar Vulnerability and risk management of Agave species in the Tehuacán Valley A rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue Google Scholar A simulated annealing approach to define the genetic structure of populations Agaves y Cactáceas de Metztitlán: Ecología Google Scholar From isozymes to genomics: population genetics and conservation of Agave in México The Deserts of Mexico in Plant Responses to Hyperarid Desert Environments Google Scholar A statistical explanation of MaxEnt for ecologists Base-calling of automated sequencer traces usingPhred Arlequin suite ver 3.5:a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and Windows Analysis of molecular variance inferred from metric distances among DNA haplotypes: application to human mitochondrial DNA restriction data Google Scholar Félix-Valdez Effects of traditional management for mescal production on the diversity and genetic structure of Agave potatorum (Asparagaceae) in central Mexico Figueredo-Urbina Morphological and genetic divergence between Agave inaequidens Analysis of their evolutionary relationships García-Mendoza Flora del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México México City: Instituto de Biología Google Scholar García-Mendoza Google Scholar Google Scholar Comparison of population genetic diversity between a rare Consed: a graphical tool for sequence finishing PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Granados-Sánchez Ecología de la vegetación del desierto chihuahuense Climatic forcing of evolution in Amazonia during the Cenozoic: on the refuge theory of biotic differentiation Google Scholar “Boundaries and barriers of North American warm deserts: an evolutionary perspective,” in Palaeogeography and Palaeobiogeography: Biodiversity in Space and Time BioEdit: a user-friendly biological sequence alignment editor and analysis program for Windows 95/98/NT Google Scholar “Allozyme diversity in plant species,” in Plant Population Genetics Hernández and endemism of Cactaceae in the Huizache area Google Scholar Genetic consequences of climatic oscillations in the Quaternary Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas A meta-analysis of the relation between mating system growth form and genotypic diversity in clonal plant species CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar doi: 10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<3666:tccsmv>2.0.co;2 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar DnaSP v5: a software for comprehensive analysis of DNA polymorphism data Pleistocene refugia in the Chihuahuan Desert: the phylogeographic and demographic history of the gymnosperm Ephedra compacta The detection of disease clustering and a generalized regression approach Google Scholar Martínez-Ainsworth Genética de Poblaciones de Agave Stricta Salm-Dyck Especie Endémica al Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) Google Scholar Martinez-Rodriguez “Agave seed endophytes: ecology and impacts on root architecture and cold stress tolerance,” in Seed Endophytes Late Quaternary environments of the northern deserts an central trans-volcanic belt of Mexico Google Scholar ENM eval: An R package for conducting spatially independent evaluations and estimating optimal model complexity for Maxent ecological niche models High and low temperature tolerances and their relationships to distribution of agaves CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Effects of life history traits and sampling strategies on genetic diversity estimates obtained with RAPD markers in plants CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on earth: a new global map of terrestrial ecoregions provides an innovative tool for conserving biodiversity The Global 200: priority ecoregions for global conservation Google Scholar Simulating Arctic climate warmth and icefield retreat in the last interglaciation Genetic and morphological contrasts between wild and anthropogenic populations of Agave parryi var Observed changes in surface atmospheric energy over land Google Scholar Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Measuring and testing genetic differentiation with ordered versus unordered alleles Google Scholar R Core Team (2019) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing Google Scholar Ramírez−Barahona The role of glacial cycles in promoting genetic diversity in the Neotropics: the case of cloud forests during the Last Glacial Maximum Reproductive ecology of five sympatric Agave littaea (Agavaceae) species in central Mexico Google Scholar Filogeografía de Agave Lechuguilla y Patrones de Distribución de Agave en México Google Scholar Neogene and Pleistocene history of Agave lechuguilla in the Chihuahuan Desert Comparison of whole chloroplast genome sequences to choose noncoding regions for phylogenetic studies in angiosperms: the tortoise and the hare III Refugia revisited: individualistic responses of species in space and time Universal primers for amplification of three non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism Google Scholar Diversidad del Género Agave en México: Una Síntesis Para su Conservación Google Scholar Index Herbariorum: A Global Directory of Public Herbaria and Associated Staff NY: New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium Google Scholar CLUSTAL W: improving the sensitivity of progressive sequence alignment through sequence weighting positions-specific gap penalties and weight matrix choice Google Scholar Population genetic analysis and bioclimatic modeling in Agave striata in the Chihuahuan Desert indicate higher genetic variation and lower differentiation in drier and more variable environments World Water Development Report 4–Managing Water Under Uncertainty and Risk Google Scholar Valiente-Banuet The vegetation of the Valley of Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Google Scholar Valiente-Banuet Guía de la Vegetación del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán México City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Google Scholar Vallejo-Marín The ecological and evolutionary consequences of clonality for plant mating doi: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.110308.120258 Species distribution modelling as a macroecological tool: a case study using New World amphibians Estimating F−statistics for the analysis of population structure Keywords: Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Lira-Saade R and Eguiarte LE (2020) Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity in a Southern North American Desert: Agave kerchovei From the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley Copyright © 2020 Aguirre-Planter, Parra-Leyva, Ramírez-Barahona, Scheinvar, Lira-Saade and Eguiarte. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Rafael Lira-Saade, cmxpcmFAdW5hbS5teA==; Luis E. Eguiarte, ZnJ1bnNAdW5hbS5teA==; ZnJ1bnNAc2Vydmlkb3IudW5hbS5teA== Police in another Puebla municipality have been relieved of their duties while they are investigated for connections with organized crime State police and federal armed forces took control of security in Tehuacán in a surprise move during a municipal police shift change early this morning At least 200 local police will be investigated due to an increase in criminal activity The state will conduct a review of all police officers to confirm whether the force had been infiltrated by organized crime Officers’ identities will be checked to ensure they are on the national list of police officers their weapons will be inspected to determine whether they have been used in criminal activity and their status checked with regard to evaluation and trust tests Officers will return to duty following the successful completion of the evaluations said the state’s public security secretary One municipal official challenged this morning’s action accusing the state of violating the municipality’s autonomy Miguel Ángel Romero Calderón said the state government could have provided support for Tehuacán’s security without putting on a show The state has conducted similar actions in three other municipalities — San Martín Texmelucan, Chalchicomula and Amozoc — in recent months. In Texmelucan the inspection turned up more than 100 police offers who were not official registered while in Serdán the review revealed 15 fake officers homicides and extortion are the most common crimes in the municipalities whose police have come under the microscope Source: El Sol de Puebla (sp), Municipios Puebla (sp) A university in Puebla has created a colonia for homeless dogs professors and administrative staff at the Technological University of Tehuacán (UTT) created the colonia “Dogtores,” a play on Mexico City’s Colonia Doctores create awareness around animal abuse and prevent formation of gangs of street dogs The idea came about in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic and is being promoted by around 20 volunteers who have been in charge of looking after the animals and providing them with food The dogs also receive attention from vets who monitor their health At the moment Dogtores houses seven canines that also help to protect the nearly empty campus where in-person classes are yet to be reinitiated Source: Municipios Puebla (sp) Mexican media outlets reported this week that Tehuacán the second largest city in the state of Puebla had become the first city — not just in Mexico but in all of Latin America — to ban fireworks following a ruling by a federal judge on April 26 the ruling merely upholds the legality of an existing ban in the city however the basis for the ruling is what makes it a first the Tehuacán city council approved a municipal environmental protection ordinance forbidding the detonation of fireworks or similar devices that cause noise or vibrations Despite the ban, however, residents in Tehuacán continued to use fireworks, which led the Tehuacán-based animal welfare organization TAC A Protection of the Environment helped by the legal team at the Puebla city human rights organization Círculo de Amparo to file an amparo lawsuit against Tehuacan’s local environmental authority and its city council The lawsuit argued that the local authorities had failed to prohibit and sanction the use of fireworks in the city despite the existence of the municipal ordinance a federal judge in Puebla city found in the petitioners’ favor and urged the responsible municipal authorities to initiate a campaign to remind Tehuacán residents of the prohibition what makes the ruling “historic” in both Mexico and Latin America is that it is the first ruling to recognize the prohibition of fireworks based on “the hazards they pose to the environment The ruling protects the right to a healthy environment for all residents It also ordered authorities to implement effective measures to ensure the ban is enforced and to sanction those who illegally use fireworks in Tehuacán Both organizations that filed the lawsuit have argued publicly in the past that fireworks not only pose a threat to humans and animals via unplanned explosions but also that their remnant substances pollute the environment and that their noise causes tachycardia and emotional distress to animals Scientists have recognized for at least a decade that large fireworks displays cause temporary spikes in air pollution that can be harmful to people with respiratory conditions such as asthma. A study by the U.S. federal agency NOAA in 2015 found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in the air of more than 300 U.S locations rose on average 42% during the 12 hours following Independence Day celebrations fireworks are a beloved tradition for many and commonly used during religious festivals their handling requires a special permit from the Defense Ministry (Sedena) without which it is illegal to manufacture devices and other chemical substances related to fireworks Sedena granted over 2,000 such permits between 2012 to 2018 the number of permits Sedena issues per year has decreased notably since 2014 implying that many people currently in the industry may lack legal permits over 160 explosions occurred at pyrotechnics manufacturing sites across the country hundreds of injuries and significant property damage The April 26 ruling could set a precedent for other federal and local courts in Mexico to uphold similar local and state bans, perhaps eventually shifting Mexico’s culture around pyrotechnics. According to an international team of scientists who have sequenced the genome of a 5,310-year-old maize cob from the Tehuacan Valley, the maize (Zea mays) grown in central Mexico more than five millennia ago was genetically more similar to modern maize than to its wild counterpart Scientists have long debated how and why ancient people domesticated maize, in large part because the wild ancestor of maize — a wild grass called teosinte — provides little nutrition Each teosinte ear produces only 5 to 12 kernels and each kernel is surrounded by a hard casing that must be removed prior to eating a genome-scale study of DNA from an ancient maize cob brings them closer to answering these questions “Maize as we know it looks so different from its wild ancestor that a couple of decades ago scientists had not reached a consensus regarding the true ancestor of maize.” To more fully understand the history and spread of maize Wales and co-authors characterized the genome of a 5,310-year-old maize cob (Tehuacan162) excavated in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico in the 1960s “Archaeological specimens frequently have high levels of bacterial DNA due to decomposition and soil contaminants,” Dr we were astonished to find that 70% of the DNA from Tehuacan162 was from the plant.” The ancient cob didn’t have hard seed coats like its wild ancestor would have it is less than a tenth of the size of modern cobs Tehuacan162 produced only 8 rows of kernels That led the team to suspect that its genes would offer clues on the early stages of maize domestication the authors used cutting-edge paleogenomic techniques They extracted DNA with a method designed to recover ultra-short DNA taking special care to avoid losing any genetic material they were able to prepare sufficient DNA for sequencing while still preserving enough of the sample to determine the cob’s precise age via radiocarbon dating the ancient sample shows that many key genes had already been modified through human selection including the lack of a hard seed coat and changes in flowering time including sugar content of the kernels and a gene that is related to dispersal of kernels from the plant “Wild plants naturally release their seeds at the appropriate time but humans have modified domesticated cereals so they retain their seeds so they can be easily collected from fields,” Dr “The finding that the ancient maize cob has the ancestral version of the gene is unexpected and encourages further research.” “Our findings offer an informative snapshot in the evolutionary history of maize and its domestication,” the scientists said “In addition to elucidating how maize provided a dietary foundation for ancient civilizations like the Maya such studies can also aid in understanding and improving commercially important lines of modern maize.” Genome Sequence of a 5,310-Year-Old Maize Cob Provides Insights into the Early Stages of Maize Domestication Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A much-awaited tortilla race returned to a Puebla city on Sunday with runners raring to go after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic More than 300 indigenous women of all ages from Santa María Coapan convened at the municipal palace in nearby Tehuacán at 9 a.m with stacks of tortillas at the ready for the 28th edition of the famous race leather huarache sandals and woven baskets full of corn tortillas the runners lined up to tackle the 4.5 kilometer course Different races were held for various age categories The children’s race kicked off proceedings and some of the young competitors set off at full pelt only to quickly hit a wall of dehydration which forced them to slow to a more comfortable pace Mujeres de Santa María Coapan realizan la Carrera de la Tortilla en su 28 edición; con tenates cargados de hasta 20 kilos de tortillas.https://t.co/TdYYE0dgPU pic.twitter.com/nwfA7k4tRK — Periódico e-consulta (@e_consulta) August 7, 2022 women are seen at the starting line in traditional dress singing together carrying large bags of tortillas on their backs pays tribute to the journey that the women of Santa María Coapan traditionally have taken for years from their town to Tehuacán where they sell their tortillas at Tehuacán’s public market the race was officially named part of the cultural heritage of Tehuacán head of the state’s office of plastic arts and cultural development said that the race was a symbolic one that reinforced Puebla’s traditions the race was not all that symbolic to many of the competitors Several took to the contest like ducks to water saying they were accustomed to carrying a heavy load of tortillas for sale in baskets every morning; some support their entire families with their sales 📍👥Antes de iniciar la Carrera de la Tortillas, las participantes llevan a cabo un ritual prehispánico en Coapan pic.twitter.com/eiapYcaq1N — La Jornada Oriente (@JornadaOriente) August 7, 2022 said she started making and selling tortillas when she was 10 years old Morales joined her first race four years ago She told the news site E-Consulta that her tortillas have reached Colombia Spain and Germany and urged authorities in Tehuacán to help support food and tortilla sellers in Santa María Coapan María de los Ángeles Zamora Leal again took the crown in the free category With reports from E-Consulta Donate to Living on Earth!Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice Sailors For The Sea: Be the change you want to sea Major funding for Living on Earth is provided by the National Science Foundation Creating positive outcomes for future generations Committed to healthy food Innovating to make the world a better, more sustainable place to live. Listen to the race to 9 billion Socially and environmentally sustainable investing. Pax World Explore, enjoy and protect the planet. The Sierra Club Applying a sustainable approach to fixed income investing furthering the values that contribute to a healthy planet The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an archival print of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary wildlife photographs Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs Coxcatlan Cave in Mexico's Tehuacan Valley is a time capsule like no other its pages detailing thousands of years of food and technology of the land's inhabitants Archaeologists from the US and Mexico have finally dug into its earliest chapter using advanced dating techniques to determine the age of animal bones buried among the rock shelter's oldest layers hinting at a human presence in the area as far back as 33,000 years ago – thousands of years before ice sheets stretched to their peak and around 20,000 years earlier than currently accepted evidence suggests It'll take more than a few odd radiocarbon measurements to demand a complete rethink, of course. But the results of this recent study led by Iowa State University archaeologist Andrew Somerville are bound to fuel the ongoing debate over the timeline of human migration into the heart of the Americas "We were surprised to find these really old dates at the bottom of the cave, and it means that we need to take a closer look at the artifacts recovered from those levels," said Somerville Southern Mexico's Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason its dry climate has preserved records of human presence for thousands of years making it a prized destination for researchers interested in the spread of our species across the New World The rock shelter of Coxcatlan Cave in the valley's south is a jewel in this archaeological treasure trove, with deep layers of sediment and dry conditions providing a chronology of activity reaching back at least 11,000 years Starting in the mid-1990s academics began to have questions over how the cave's 'history book' should be read with concerns over the dating of some botanical specimens pointing to its pages being out of order Around three quarters of the plant materials excavated from the shelter were found dramatically out of sequence Though research has since come to the defense of the overall structure of the cave's timeline understandably confidence in its reliability has remained somewhat shaken With the site's lowest layers yet to be fully assessed Somerville and his team saw work needed to be done to clarify the chronology of Coxcatlan Cave "We weren't trying to weigh in on this debate or even find really old samples, said Somerville "We were just trying to situate our agricultural study with a firmer timeline." Carrying out accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating on 14 hare and deer bones previously excavated from the site the researchers came up with a catalogue of dates describing when the animals had lived well within a period humans were known to be in the area Several rabbit bones and the femur of a hare were found to date back roughly 33,000 years, a time that not only preceded all current records for the continent, but would soon be cut off from the rest of the world by climate change "Pushing the arrival of humans in North America back to over 30,000 years ago would mean that humans were already in North America prior to the period of the Last Glacial Maximum, when the Ice Age was at its absolute worst," said Somerville "Large parts of North America would have been inhospitable to human populations which means people probably would have had to come to the Americas by boats down the Pacific coast." It's not the first finding to test existing models of pre-Ice Age migration onto the American continent, with a 2020 study finding 130,000 year old traces of mastodon bone scraped onto rocks from California hinting at human handiwork these rabbit and hare bones leave plenty of room for argument there is still the big question of whether humans were even responsible for depositing the remains in the cave in the first place Looking for signs of butchering and roasting would go a long way to building a case as would finding clear signs of tool manufacture in the same layers It's a research project Somerville plans to undertake in the future Such findings could help resolve the question of the bones' origins providing an increment of evidence describing an arduous journey into southern Mexico tens of thousands of years ago It's the prologue to America's story we're all dying to read This research was published in Latin American Antiquity The Ndachjian–Tehuacan archaeological site in Puebla Mexican archaeologists have discovered what they say is the first temple of a pre-Hispanic fertility god known as the Flayed Lord who is depicted as a skinned human corpse The discovery is being hailed as significant by authorities at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History because it is a whole temple Experts found two skull-like stone carvings and a stone trunk depicting the god Xipe Totec "It had an extra hand dangling off one arm, suggesting the god was wearing the skin of a sacrificial victim," the Associated Press reports A skull-like stone carving and a stone trunk depicting the Flayed Lord a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse "Priests worshipped Xipe Totec by skinning human victims and then donning their skins The ritual was seen as a way to ensure fertility and regeneration," according to the AP The temple was recently uncovered in excavated ruins of the Popoloca Indians in the state of Puebla in central Mexico The temple was built by the Popolocas between A.D 1000 and 1260 at a complex known as Ndachjian-Tehuacan Authorities believe the victims who lost their skin were involved in gladiator-style combat and were later flayed Become an NPR sponsor MEXICO CITY -- In one of the deadliest maritime smuggling events near U.S 23 people were thought to have been aboard the two boats that capsized off San Diego This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing More than 400 women and girls lined up at the start of the 29th Carrera de la Tortilla in Tehuacán Puebla on Sunday — many of them toting 6 kilos of tortillas on their backs approximately 5 km away in Santa María Coapan — in front of family and hundreds of onlookers from around Puebla state and beyond — the winner was 12-year-old Paula Michelle De Jesús Marcos Many of the participants hailed from the small town of Santa María Coapan known as the “Tortilla Capital” for its handmade corn tortillas of a size and texture different from most others Among the town’s population of 10,000 women approximately 50% participate in the preparation of tortillas to prepare the tortillas they are required to carry during the race Women in the open category ran with 6 kg (13 lbs) on their backs although those from 40 to 49 years old and over 50 had lower allowances of 5 kilograms and 3 kilograms respectively running with a son or daughter either in their arms or within a rebozo — a traditional sling used to carry a baby There was also a children’s category in which 4- to 6-year-olds carried 1 kg and those from 7 to 12 years old carried 3 kg Paula Michelle De Jesús Marcos ran in the children’s category but was also the overall winner taking the lead from the start and never relinquishing it The open winner (a category for 19–39-year-olds) was María de los Ángeles Zamora Leal Governor of Puebla Sergio Salomón Céspedes gave the starting signal after praising the women and highlighting that the event represents the traditions and identity of the region The race also began with a traditional ceremony marked by the burning of incense and the blowing of a conch horn including a new recreational category added this year to prevent outside runners from taking an award away from the women who participate in the town’s 30-year-old tradition Participants wore typical garments from the Mixtec region: huipiles with embroidered flowers and colored threads The route corresponded (in reverse) to the route the women take daily to get to the Tehuacán marketplace The race is part of the Corn Fair held in Tehuacán; the municipality is said to be the cradle of corn in Mesoamerica Nearby factories were the problem - dozens of them which are dedicated to doing to jeans in hours what used to take years of wear it burns the seedlings and sterilises the earth," the 67-year-old subsistence farmer said as the peasants in the Tehuacán valley in central Mexico can attest Overlooked by volcanoes and laced by underground waterways the city of Tehuacán was once famous for its mineral springs and spas The "city of health" was already in decline by the time the area became a hub for the global denim industry in the 1990s More recently competition from Asia and Central America has closed some factories but Tehuacán still has more than 700 clothes manufacturers Many of these produce jeans for big US brands as well as lesser-known local labels which copy the new styles set by the bigger players "Jeans were born to be used by workers," said a local activist "Now they can cost thousands of dollars and are produced on the backs of exploitation and environmental destruction." Mr Barrios and his colleagues in the local Human Rights Commission spend most of their time defending workers' rights in the factories which range from large well-established facilities to clandestine sweatshops that disappear at the first hint of inspection Of most concern environmentally are the laundries where the clothes are sent for distressing marked with mechanical tools and faded with large quantities of potassium permanganate - a bleaching agent once commonly used to trigger illegal abortions fabric softening and a final crescendo of washing and rewashing The clean garments are left ready for sale while in many factories the chemicals used to treat them are left to flow away in bright indigo waste Over the years consciousness-raising campaigns aided by US-based international solidarity groups have persuaded the multinationals to pressure Tehuacán's most established factories to fulfil minimum international standards Last week inspectors sent by Gap were in town to visit Grupo Navarra - the city's biggest manufacturer which supplies the multinational - prompted by a dispute involving a group of workers who say they were sacked for trying to form an independent union The company is one of the few with a water treatment plant on site "The contamination is mainly the fault of the companies that act outside the law," said Juan Carlos López He points to the transparent water flowing from his plant But activists claim the government is simply not prepared to take on the economic interests of the factory owners A substantial array of institutions at local state and federal level have some degree of responsibility Those contacted all recognised that the problem is serious but claimed they were doing everything within their jurisdiction while implying that other authorities were not "We don't think that the problem is wearing denim," Mr Barrios said standing on a small mountain of blue pumice stone beside the waste canal leaving Tehuacán's Lavacolor laundry "The problem is the toxic styles imposed by the big brands." Joe Tuckman visits the factories allegedly polluting the local water supply in Tehuacán. Click here to see the gallery Too many automated requests from this network Ancient stone tools discovered 50 years ago inside a cave throughout Poland have recently been recognized as being among the greatest ever unearthed in the region As Science Alert reported the tools discovered inside the Tunel Wielki cave in Maopolska date back somewhere around 450,000 and 550,000 years This dating could assist researchers in discovering more about humans who created them as well as about their movement of people and human settlements in Central Europe throughout prehistory The timeframe suggests that the techniques were made by the eradicated humankind which is thought to have been the final common heritage of Neanderthals as well as modern humans it implies that humans inhabited the region at a time when Central Europe's environmental condition would have necessitated substantial physical and cultural adaptation This is a very interesting factor of the studies for the experts as explained by archaeologist Magorzata Kot of the University of Warsaw in Poland to Science in Poland Researchers as told could indeed investigate the boundaries of Homo heidelbergensis's survival potentials and thus see how they adjusted to these harsh conditions Tunel Wielki cave is been unearthed in the 1960s Material layers have been dated to the Holocene period which began approximately 11,700 years back archaeologist Claudio Berto of the University of Warsaw believed the dating contradicted his observations He concluded that the animal bones retrieved from the premises were about obviously longer than 40,000 years As a result, which was shown in the Scientific Reports Kot as well as her team brought back to the cave in 2018 They resumed and lengthened one of their trenches cautiously inspecting the various layers of material that had accumulated over time and trying to collect the most bone component to analyze Experts we also able discovered that the top levels did matter of fact comprise the bones of animals from this same Late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs It comprised the bone fragments of several species that inhabited half a million years ago Panthera gombaszoegensis; the Mosbach wolf an ancestor to modern gray wolves; and Deninger's bear The surface that produced the bones also had flint knapping evidence, such as flint flakes, fragments from which additional equipment can also be molded, and cores from which they were struck. There also completed tools like weapons, the news media site - Headtopics reported there's only 2 main locations in Poland with resources from the relatively similar time frame: Trzebnica and Rusko There are numerous archaeological locations in the area that present indications of ancient human presence Humidity and low temperatures would make that difficult We discovered evidence that people who lived there was using fire which likely helped to tone down such dark and humid surroundings © 2025 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved Corn is a versatile vegetable for many households – consider cornbread It is also used to make cereals and snacks that people consume daily Corn is not only popular – it also has an interesting history and scientists have made new discoveries on its domestication using a 5,310-year-old corn cob the cob is named Tehuacan162 and is one of the five oldest in the world Nathan Wales of the Natural History of Demark prehistoric people ate a wild grass called teosinte the grass evolved into corn with hard seed coats That corn then evolved into the soft kernelled corn seen on Tehuacan162 Wales and fellow scientists studied the physical and genetic attributes of Tehuacan162 and published their findings in Current Biology which they assert was only possible because the prehistoric corn was so well preserved Bacterial DNA that is usually present in ancient specimens due to decomposition and contaminants was low in Tehuacan162 making 70% of its original DNA available for study scientists analyzed the distinct physical characteristics of Tehuacan162 It does not have hard seed coats like its ancestors did and it is much smaller than modern corn at only 2 centimeters long They concluded that the DNA of the cob would provide insight into the early stages of corn domestication Humans dispersed maize across the Americas very quickly and very successfully and how maize adapted to such diverse environments” Corn as modern people know it – be it popped or fried – looks vastly different from its ancestors’ corn Wales and his team of scientists provide a unique link in the 10,000-year chain of corn evolution and domestication Read another story from us: Cheesecake was invented in Ancient Greece, was served to the athletes at the first Olympic Games Such findings can lead to further understanding of how ancient people such as the Mayans consumed corn and how modern societies can improve corn production Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE