First discovery of a pre-Columbian port on the Gulf Coast

A retaining pier wall, four shrines and an unusual circular structure dating to over 1000 years old, have recently been found by archaeologists of the National Institute of anthropology and history (INAH) in the pre-Hispanic site of Tabuco in Veracruz.

According to María Eugenia Maldonado Vite, responsible for the archaeological rescue excavation, these remains represent a mooring pier or dock where goods and maritime traffic would land and be controlled by elites. If this is the case, then it represets the first discovery of a pre-Columbian port on the Gulf Coast.

“This evidence changes our perception of the settlement, as previously it was only known as a ceremonial area and even the toponymic naming of ‘Tabuco’ repesents a portable altar with conical roof in the language of the Tuxpan,” said the archaeologist. Read more.