America's Most Famous Human Footprints: History, Context and First Description of Mid-Holocene Tracks from the Shores of Lake Managua, Nicaragua

Abstract

Human tracks discovered in 1874 at a site named El Cauce or Acahualinca near the shores of Lake Managua, Nicaragua, are the most famous and abundant human tracks in the Americas. They represent a landmark ichnological discovery during the late 19th century that generated much debate regarding their age and origins. Reported dates for the tracks range from 2,120 to 6,500 B.P. The site, which is now situated within the limits of Nicaragua's capital city of Managua, forms the basis of the Acahualinca Tracks Museum (Huellas de Acahualinca) and has been in place since 1953. However, it is still little known and has not been systematically studied, despite being an important window into Meso-American prehistory. Two exposures of a surface of volcanic ash reveal hundreds of human tracks comprising a minimum of 12 clearly defined trackways, and a trampled zone or path representing at least three more individuals, all heading in the same northwesterly direction. Tracks of deer, opossum and at least one bird are also present. Bison tracks collected from another nearby site (El Recreo) that is no longer accessible are on display at the museum. The Acahualinca tracks are noteworthy for the exceptional quality of preservation. We herein present the first maps of the two exposures, which combine to tell a story of human and animal activity along the shores of ancient Lake Managua several thousand years ago.

Keywords:

• Nicaragua
• Managua
• Acahualinca
• human tracks

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Vince Santucci, National Park Service, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Neffra Matthews, Bureau of Land Management, National Science and Technology Center, Denver, for their helpful reviews. We also thank Nick Czaplewski for his identification of the opossum tracks from the Acahualinca site based on our photographs.