Archaeologists in Mexico have found 4,926 cave paintings in north-east Mexico in Burgos providing new information about the presence of pre-Hispanic people in a region which was previously believed to be uninhabited.

The well-preserved rock art found at 11 different sites, with the walls of one cave covered with 1,550 separate paintings.  The images in red, yellow, black and white depict humans, animals, insects, skyscapes and abstract scenes.  They also found paintings of a pre-Hispanic hunting weapon called the atlatl, which had not been seen in any other paintings in the region.

Until now, very little was known about the cultures that dwelled in Tamaulipas state but this latest discovery is changing our understanding of Mexican history. The most significant aspect of the finding is that the area in which they were found was previously thought not to have been inhabited by ancient cultures and this provides a new understanding about ancient humans in Mexico.

The age of the paintings is not yet known but the rock art suggests that at least three groups of hunter-gatherers dwelled in the San Carlos mountain range.