25 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

INAH Archaeologists recover the coyote-man of Tacámbaro

Archaeologists win the coyote-man trial that lasted 30 years in Mexico.

The litigation regarding the coyote-man of Tacámbaro, an important archaeological item of Tarascan civilization, has been completed, and the court has determined that the statue is “property of the nation.”

Archaeologists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) unearthed an important statue from the Tarascan culture almost 30 years ago for the INAH Michoacán Center.

The coyote-man of Tacámbaro was discovered during drainage works in the Llanos de Canícuaro neighborhood, municipality of Tacámbaro de Codallos, where during antiquity the Tarascan civilization had constructed the city of Tzintzuntza (meaning “place of the hummingbirds” in the Purépecha language.)

The sculpture depicts a coyote-man perched on a throne made of basalt, measuring 1.08 meters tall by 45 cm wide, and was held on private property owned by the Hernández family until INAH recovered the sculpture through Mexico’s Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Zones.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Photo: INAH

The sculpture depicts a coyote-man perched on a throne made of basalt, measuring 1.08 meters tall by 45 cm wide.

It was held in private ownership by the Hernández family until INAH saved the statue through Mexico’s Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Zones.

The INAH Michoacán Center held a press conference to announce the court ruling about the sculpture. INAH Michoacán manager Marco Antonio Rodriguez Espinosa and Tacámbaro de Codallos mayor Artemio Moriya Sánchez thanked the Hernández Family for keeping the National Historic Heritage statue in their home during the 30-year trial and handing it over to officials after the lawsuit’s outcome was announced.

Archaeologist José Luis Punzo said: “Representations of coyotes and a dozen coyote-man figures have been found in Tzintzuntzan and Ihuatzio, very similar in their form to the one from Tacámbaro, but are generally smaller in size ranging from 40 to 50 centimeters.”

“We know that the last lords of Tzintzuntzan, who wrote the Relacion de Michoacán, were the so-called uacúsecha, the ‘lineage of the eagle’. Next to this was another large city on Lake Pátzcuaro, Ihuatzio, which means ‘place of coyotes’, where most of these sculptures have been located. One of the hypotheses is that the coyote-man sculptures could represent a dynasty that ruled this place, even before the Uacúsecha history was written” added Punzo.

The Tarascan civilization (also known as the Purépecha) was a Mesoamerican civilization that governed significant sections of western Mexico during the Post-Classic Period (AD 1400-1521).

The sculpture of the coyote-man of Tacámbaro is located on the facility of the INAH Michoacán Center, where it is preserved for restoration and research.

INAH

Cover Photo: INAH

Related Articles

700-Year-Old Church Becomes a Museum

31 January 2021

31 January 2021

It was learned that the 7-century-old church in Akçaabat, Trabzon will serve as a museum from now on. St. The...

2,800-Year-Old ‘Pharmaceutical production area’ discovered in ancient Thracian City

19 January 2024

19 January 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a “pharmaceutical production area” supported by a water source during ongoing excavations in the Thracian Ancient City...

4,900-year-old Copper Age Fortress with a Violent Past and Odd Roman Burial Found in Spain

13 February 2025

13 February 2025

A remarkable 4,900-year-old Copper Age fortress, featuring a pentagon shape, three concentric walls, 25 bastions, and three ditches, has been...

In the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”, archaeologists have discovered a burial mound containing ornate treasures dating back 2,500 years

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

A Polish-Russian team of archaeologists, excavating in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” have announced the discovery of a burial...

Rare Prehistoric Animal Carvings Discovered For The First Time In Scotland

31 May 2021

31 May 2021

Animal carvings thousands of years old have been found for the first time in Scotland. The carvings, estimated to be...

Europe’s Oldest Blue Pigment Found in Stone Age Paint Box

30 September 2025

30 September 2025

Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered the earliest evidence of blue pigment ever used in Europe, rewriting our understanding of Stone...

Israeli Archaeologists discover two shipwrecks filled with treasure

22 December 2021

22 December 2021

Israeli archaeologists have been discovered ancient artifacts and treasures amid the wrecks of two ships on the seafloor off the...

A Monument complex and inscription belonging to Ilteris Kutlug Kagan, the founder of the Eastern Göktürk Khanate, were found

24 August 2022

24 August 2022

A Turkish inscription of İlteriş Kutlug Kağan was found during the joint scientific archaeological expedition of the International Turkic Academy...

A new study reveals, Anglo-Saxon Kings were generally vegetarian, but peasants treated them to huge meat feasts

22 April 2022

22 April 2022

Very few people in England ate large amounts of meat before the Vikings settled, and there is no evidence that...

First example of Roman crucifixion in UK discovered in Cambridgeshire village

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

In Cambridgeshire village, the earliest evidence of a Roman crucifixion has been discovered. Archaeologists investigating a previously unknown Roman roadside...

Archaeologists Discover Old Bulgarian Inscription and Rich Finds at Nikopol Fortress Excavations

2 September 2025

2 September 2025

This summer’s archaeological season at the Nikopol Fortress has yielded one of the most remarkable discoveries in recent years: an...

Medieval Ring with a Skull Emblem Found in Wales and The Gold Coins are Declared Treasure

11 April 2021

11 April 2021

Located in wales nine treasure finds dating from the medieval and post-medieval periods have been declared treasure. Metal detectors in...

“Ladies of Anavlochos”: Crete’s Puzzle in Pieces

9 May 2025

9 May 2025

Perched high on the rugged slopes of Mount Anavlochos, overlooking the azure expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, lie the silent...

Jordan’s mysterious ancient wall “Khatt Shebib”

22 October 2022

22 October 2022

The accomplishments of ancient civilizations are typically woefully underappreciated because we stereotype them as primitives who only wore loincloths, and...

Archaeologists Uncover Monumental Roman Building Near Waal River in Nijmegen, Netherlands

4 June 2025

4 June 2025

During a routine excavation ahead of a major urban development in the Waalfront district of Nijmegen, municipal archaeologists have uncovered...