Overview
- The INAH announced late Tuesday that excavations tied to the Salvamento Ferroviario Ímuris-Nogales project uncovered an ~800 m² Pima settlement roughly 100 meters from the Cocóspera mission church.
- Archaeologists documented adobe homes, communal spaces and 20 ovens that contained animal bones and seeds, offering direct evidence of what residents ate and how they cooked.
- Teams recovered indigenous tools and ornaments alongside Christian crosses and medallions, showing material coexistence that reflects cultural adaptation during the mission era.
- The discovery arose during archaeological rescue work for railway-related projects, prompting INAH to prioritize further field study, lab analyses and conservation measures for at-risk remains.
- Researchers say the site can illuminate how Pima communities negotiated missionization, and officials expect the findings to shape local heritage management and public interpretation in coming months.