The Acámbaro Figures are several
thousand small ceramic figurines found starting in July 1944
in Acámbaro, Guanajuato, Mexico by a German immigrant named
Waldemar Julsrud.
The figurines are said by some to resemble dinosaurs and are
sometimes cited as anachronisms or anomalies. Some
"young-earth creationists" have alleged that the existence
of these figurines 1s credible evidence for the coexistence
of dinosaurs and humans, in an attempt to cast doubt on
scientific dating methods, on the evolution of life on this
planet. and potentially offer support for a literal
interpretation of the Bible. Additionally, as is often
the case, additional wishful thinkers, and celebrities,
claim to have discovered figures independently.
However, put bluntly, there is no reliable evidence for the
validity of the Acambaro figures as actual ancient
artifacts; they are accepted by no credible scholar of
archaeology or paleontology, and the motives of many who
support them are questionable.
Yes, dinosaurs did have
horse & dog legs, and long necked Apatosaurus frequently
sat down for dinner.
Background Information
The Acámbaro Figures were allegedly
uncovered by a German immigrant and hardware merchant named
Waldemar Julsrud after his arrival in Mexico. According to
one young-earth creationist and major proponent of the
figures, Julsrud stumbled upon the figures while riding his
horse and hired a local farmer to dig up the remaining
figures, paying him for each figure he brought back.
Eventually, the farmer and his assistants brought him over
32,000 figures which included representations of everything
from the supposed dinosaurs to peoples from all over the
world including Egyptians, Sumerians, and “bearded
Caucasians.”
The figures attracted little attention from scholars and
scientists, and when Julsrud began to assert that they were
accurate representations of dinosaurs created by an ancient
society, he only alienated himself further from serious
scientific investigation. Tabloids and popular media sources
covered the story however, and the figures steadily became
somewhat famous, particularly amongst new-age religious
movements.
Archaeologist Charles C. Di Peso was working for the Amerind
Foundation, an anthropological organization dedicated to
preserving Native American culture. Di Peso examined the
figures and determined that they were not authentic, and had
instead been produced by local modern day farmers,
publishing his results in the journal American Antiquity.
Julsrud quickly gained supporters of the figures'
authenticity. Some of these have tried to argue against Di
Pesco's investigation. Charles Hapgood, pioneer of pole
shift theory, became one of the figures most high profile
and devout supporters, and while Hapggod may have been
insightful in his field, he was far from a competent
archaeologist. Other supporters included Earle Stanley
Gardner, the prolific novelist and creator of the character
Perry Mason, who came to Julsrud’s defense claiming that the
32,000 figures could not possibly have been produced by a
single person or group of people (of course single artisan
collectives in numerous parts of Latin America routinely
produce far greater numbers of ceramic souvenirs in a single
year). This was in defense against accusations that the
figures were a hoax played on Julsrud (as a kindness for
Julstrud's remaining minimal reputation).
The figures continue to draw attention to the present day.
They have been cited in several pseudoscientific books such
as Atlantis Rising by David Lewis, and Don Patton, another
or their staunchest supporters and young-earth creationists.
He has proposed some new lines of evidence, including the
figure’s resemblance to the dinosaurs depicted in Robert
Bakker’s book, Dinosaur Heresies (but the actual detail of
these objects is so poor, and the shear quantity is so great
that feature matches are inevitable).
The Figures Are A Hoax
Circumstances of “Excavation”
The very circumstances from which
the figures first appeared are is serious doubt.
Yes, there is one born ever minute.
Julsrud, himself claims that he paid
the farmers for every figure they brought him, which would
have given the farmers motive to create their own figures
and disguise them as ancient artifacts. An example of
this kind of unforeseen commerce was the quest for shrunken
heads in the early 1900s - fake heads were produced not only
in the original country of origin, but in neighboring
countries as well. Where there is demand, there will
be greed and frauds.
Condition of the Figures When Unearthed
According to DiPeso, the surface of
the figures was practically new, recently fired, and showed
no characteristic evidence of having been in the ground for
at least 1500 years. If they were authentic artifacts, they
should be significant water and soil staining, and abrasions
from the rocky soil, which is characteristic of artifacts
found in that area of Mexico. Additionally, there
should be a context for their burial - some ritual purpose
for their burial, or other reason for their location.
While modern peoples may leave objects around, there is
almost always a reason for this, and no less so in our
ancient past - simply leaving thousand of such fragile
objects exposed is not consistent with any other
discoveries.
Also, while people were digging up
the artifacts, DiPeso observed them crush through authentic
artifacts to reach the figures, yet none of the figures
themselves displayed any marks of damage. Other evidence
includes fresh manure and fingerprints found under the
ground, and black fill from other strata which was
discovered in sterile red earth, all of which is evidence of
tampering with the site.
The number of Figures and their condition
The sheer number of perfect figures
found is evidence alone for a hoax. As any practicing
archaeologist can tell you, even in the most preserved site,
finding perfect ceramics is unusual, and even if found in
perfect condition, removing them whole requires meticulous
care - not the kind of care the campesinos equipped with
just shovels is likely to provide. Over 32,000 figures
were found, and all of them in perfect condition except for
a few that were cleanly broken, and even though they had all
their missing pieces (none pulverized), perhaps to create
the illusion of antiquity. If these were authentic
artifacts, they would not be preserved with such perfection
in such an inhospitable environment. Pottery is frequently
uncovered in fragments (called sherds); nowhere in the
Americas have 32,000 unblemished ceramics objects been
uncovered in their obvious perfect condition, with none of
them in fragments (cleanly broken in two does not count as
fragments), unless your discover is in a artisan factory
producing them.
Hard Evidence?
Don Patton has provided what he
claims to be accurate radiocarbon dates for the figures
ranging from 6500 years to 1500 years. The
laboratories that produced these dates have stated that they
were inconclusive, but Dennis Swift, once again jumps in and
claims that once the laboratories discovered what they were
dating, they retracted their original dates. However,
given the large number of pieces, one would expect them to
be sent repeatedly for dating, and also as new technologies
have emerged for alternative dating methodologies, that
samples would have been available. Yet this is not the
case. Of course dating an object depends on many
factors, and objects can be contaminated, producing
inconclusive results. Only by providing sample objects
to an truly impartial lab can the case be proved in favor of
the creationists. Until then, they are viewed
universally as fraud - though they make an interesting
tourist attraction, and footnote in the history of Mexico.
Additionally, one other point of
repudiation, is that most of the "dinosaur" figures are
supposed to be reptilian. Yet we see almost all have
mammalian hips, legs, and feet. Plus a significant
amount have ONLY two legs - as well know from all
descendents of the protomammals, two legs and two arms (or
arms adapted into wings) is the rule. Even sea
creatures that evolved from land animals still have
vestigial limbs. Humans throughout time have been
excellent witnesses, and keen observers - one look at the
cave paintings of Southern Europe provide ample proof - yet
here we see endless major anatomical mistakes, not to
mention fantastical invention, that would have made any
1950s "B" movie director proud! Perhaps the very
design of Godzilla himself came from this fanciful
collection!
Acámbaro Figures / Dinosaurs Gallery:
