In Mexico, amateur find of ancient ‘goddess’ stirs calls for more research

The edge of a mysterious block of limestone began to peak out from the dirt after Cesar Cabrera cleared a stretch of his family farm in Mexico where he wanted to plant watermelon.

Several weeks later, he and five other men carefully hoisted it out of the ground, and found themselves face to face with a life-size statue that had likely been buried for centuries. The accidental archaeologists had made the country’s first big find of the year.

“Look! It’s the image of a goddess!” said an overjoyed Cabrera, 52, recalling his first words after seeing her face.

The farmers carefully lifted the statue into a truck and took it to Cabrera’s house. Some internet sleuthing in the days that followed persuaded Cabrera that the statue, carved with elaborate ornaments and a flowing feather headdress, resembled the Huastec goddess of lust.

Experts think it’s more likely the more than 500-year-old sculpture represents an elite woman, possibly a queen, from the Huastec culture, one of Mexico’s lesser-known ancient societies due in large part to a paucity of research plus wide-scale looting over a century ago of its uniquely naturalistic art.

For centuries, thriving Huastec population centers dotted Mexico’s steamy southeastern coast, many clustered around rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico, stretching across six modern-day Mexican states including Veracruz, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi.

By the time Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes arrived on the Veracruz coast in 1519, they had for decades been absorbed into the Aztec empire, derided as drunks and overly sexual by the more proper imperial elites but valued as a crucial link to Gulf coast riches like cacao and especially fine cotton cloth.

Portraying Huastecs as barbarians was probably a ploy to justify submission even as their artistic influence spread, according to historians.

“The Gulf coast region really had one of the most remarkable sculptural traditions,” said Kim Richter, a Huastec art expert at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. She says the tradition emphasized powerful women, often tattooed and almost always nude.

Many statues were looted in the late 1800s and early 1900s by British naval officers and oil industry geologists around the Gulf port of Tampico, Richter adds, which in part explains why the British Museum has such an extensive collection.

Then as now, careful archeological documentation was absent.

“This amazing cultural heritage is not getting excavated and it’s not being properly conserved,” she said, noting that nearly all ongoing research in the region is so-called “salvage” work, legally required before bulldozers can clear land for development.

Over the past couple of years, steep cuts to research funding in Mexico have forced many archaeological digs across the country to close.

Sara Ladron de Guevara, dean of Veracruz University and herself an archaeologist, points to an appreciation of Huastec sculpture outside Mexico. She cited what she describes as a Venus of ancient Mexico, naked and curvy but headless, currently on display through July at the Quai Branly museum in Paris.

She said the discovery of the Huastec ‘goddess,’ found by lucky locals rather than trained archaeologists, and awaiting her fate in storage at Cabrera’s house, should send a message to Mexico’s government.

“I think this woman has come to remind us that we have a past to safeguard and heritage to investigate.”

Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O’Brien

The edge of a mysterious block of limestone began to peak out from the dirt after Cesar Cabrera cleared a stretch of his family . . .

Follow Us On Google News | Get Our Newsletter



Trending News on PVDN

  • puerto-vallarta-rainfall-hurricane-flossie-july-2025Puerto Vallarta braces for torrential rains as Hurricane Flossie gains strength Puerto Vallarta faces a high risk of flooding as Hurricane Flossie intensifies in the Pacific. Torrential rains and overwhelmed drainage systems pose major challenges for the city. Puerto Vallarta, a city wedged between the Sierra Madre mountains and the Pacific Ocean, is no stranger to dramatic weather shifts—but this summer, the skies are testing the…
  • raw-sewage-playa-los-muertos-puerto-vallartaMore Raw Sewage Dumping at Playa Los Muertos Appear to Come From Local Hotel Business owners in Puerto Vallarta are demanding action after raw sewage was discovered leaking onto Playa Los Muertos, raising public health and tourism concerns. A raw sewage leak at Playa Los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta has sparked outrage among local tourist service providers and business owners, who say the contamination is driving away visitors and…
  • hurricane-flossie-strengthens-july-1-2025Hurricane Flossie will bring tropical storm conditions to parts of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco Hurricane Flossie intensifies off Mexico's Pacific coast with winds near 90 mph. Heavy rain, flooding, and tropical storm conditions expected in parts of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco. Hurricane Flossie continued to intensify early Tuesday morning as it moved west-northwestward off the coast of southwestern Mexico, prompting tropical storm warnings and watches across multiple states.…
  • Where do foreigners come from and where do they live in MexicoMexico City Protest on July 5 Challenges Gentrification and Airbnb’s Impact on Housing Residents of Roma and Condesa will gather at Parque México on July 5 to protest gentrification, rising rents, and Airbnb’s effect on local housing. This Saturday, July 5, Mexico City will witness its first organized citizen protest against gentrification—a peaceful but urgent gathering taking place at 3:30 p.m. at the Lindbergh Forum in Parque México,…
  • cabo-corrientes-warning-canceled-hurricane-flossieCabo Corrientes Spared as Hurricane Flossie Warning Lifted, But Pacific Coast Still at Risk Cabo Corrientes no longer under tropical storm watch as Hurricane Flossie nears Mexico's Pacific coast, with dangerous winds and heavy rains threatening Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco. The tropical storm watch for Cabo Corrientes was officially canceled Tuesday, offering a measure of relief for the scenic coastal town as Hurricane Flossie continues to churn off Mexico’s…
  • no-damage-jalisco-hurricane-flossieNo Damage Reported in Jalisco as Hurricane Flossie Moves Away While Mexico's Weather Service predicted heavy rains, Hurricane Flossie causes no damage along Jalisco’s coast. The Category 3 storm brings light rain and moderate waves as it moves away from the region. The coasts of Jalisco remain calm and largely unaffected following the passage of Hurricane Flossie, a powerful Category 3 storm that is now…
  • cancun-2025-sargassum-beaches-and-activitiesSargassum won’t ruin your Cancun vacation, there are plenty of clean beaches and tourist activities As the 2025 sargassum season continues through September, visitors to Cancun can still enjoy clear beaches like Playa Delfines and Playa Caracol. As the 2025 sargassum season intensifies across Quintana Roo, tourists are finding it more difficult to enjoy the region’s iconic white-sand beaches without encountering the unsightly brown seaweed. While the influx of sargassum…
  • tropical-storm-flossie-hurricane-mexico-pacific-coastTropical Storm Flossie to Strengthen into Hurricane as It Tracks Along Mexico’s Pacific Coast Tropical Storm Flossie is expected to become a Category 2 hurricane by July 2 as it moves parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast, bringing dangerous rainfall, wind, and surf. Tropical Storm Flossie is on the verge of forming from Tropical Depression Six-E and is forecast to strengthen rapidly into a hurricane as it parallels Mexico’s southwestern…
  • oregon-murder-fugitive-extradited-puerto-vallartaFugitive Wanted for 2008 Oregon Homicide Captured in Puerto Vallarta and Extradited to U.S. Jesús Rodríguez Borrayo, a fugitive for 17 years, was extradited from Mexico to Oregon for his role in a 2008 drive-by shooting that left one dead. He was located in Puerto Vallarta. A man wanted for murder and other violent crimes in the United States for nearly two decades has been extradited after being found…
  • tropical-wave-7-floods-bacalar-chetumal-emergency-responseTropical Wave Floods Bacalar and Chetumal as Navy and Army Activate Emergency Plans Torrential rains from Tropical Wave 7 flood Bacalar and Chetumal, prompting emergency response from the Navy and Army. Several towns remain isolated in southern Quintana Roo. Torrential rains caused by Tropical Wave Number 7 have flooded multiple communities in southern Quintana Roo, prompting a joint emergency response from Mexico’s Navy and Army. Authorities activated their…
Scroll to Top