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The Acámbaro figures: A collection of thousands of figurines representing dinosaurs dismissed as a hoax by scientists …

David Goran

The Acámbaro figures are small ceramic figurines allegedly found in Acámbaro, Guanajuato, Mexico. They were discovered in July of 1944 by a German immigrant and hardware merchant named Waldemar Julsrud.

Waldemar Julsrud Museum in Acámbaro, Mexico. Source
Waldemar Julsrud Museum in Acámbaro, Mexico. Source

 

Discovered in July 1944 by the 69 year old German merchant and amateur archaeologist, Waldemar Julsrud. Source
Discovered in July 1944 by the 69-year-old German merchant and amateur archaeologist, Waldemar Julsrud. Source

According to accounts, Julsrud stumbled upon the artifacts while riding his horse in the Acámbaro area. In the following 7 years, the farmer and his assistants discovered over 32,000 ceramic figurines near El Toro as well as Chivo Mountain on the other side of town.

Julsrud hired a local farmer to dig up the remaining figures, paying him for each object he found. Source
Julsrud hired a local farmer to dig up the remaining figures, paying him for each object he found. Source

 

No less than 30,000 figurines were found. Source
No less than 30,000 figurines were found. Source

 

The figurines are said by some to resemble dinosaurs and are sometimes cited as anachronisms. Source
The figurines are said by some to resemble dinosaurs and are sometimes cited as anachronisms. Source

Julsrud was amazed because the creations showed not only human figurines like the Chupicuaro collection, but also monsters, dozens of recognizable dinosaurs, people together with dinosaurs, and even flying saucers. Tabloids and popular media sources covered the story, however, and the figures steadily became somewhat famous.

The figurines were representations of everything from dinosaurs to people from all over the world, including Egyptians, Sumerians, and bearded Caucasians. Source
The figurines were representations of everything from dinosaurs to people from all over the world, including Egyptians, Sumerians, and bearded Caucasians. Source

 

It was attributed to a still unknown Indian tribe thousands of years old. Until today this collection is known as the Chupicuaro collection. Source
Some of the figurines were attributed to an Indian tribe thousands of years old. Until today this collection is known as the Chupicuaro collection. Source

Attempts have been made to date the figures using thermoluminescence (TL) dating. The earliest results, from tests done when TL dating was in its infancy, suggested a date around 2500 BC. However, later tests contradicted these findings. In 1976, Gary W. Carriveau and Mark C. Han attempted to date twenty Acámbaro figures using TL dating. Based on the degree of signal regeneration found in remeasured samples, they estimated that the figures tested had been fired at temperatures between 450 °C and 650 °C, approximately 30 years prior to 1969.

Despite the huge number of figurines, they were all composed of different kinds of clay, including black clay from Oaxaca. Source
Despite the huge number of figurines, they were all composed of different kinds of clay, including black clay from Oaxaca. Source

 

Julsrud never sold any of the figurines. Source
Julsrud never sold any of the figurines. Source

Despite the discovery was dismissed as a hoax, the figures continue to draw attention and many people still believe that the figures represent a much more interesting view of history than reality presents. These figurines belong to that class of objects called out-of-place artifacts (any object displaying evidence of a technology that, according to uniformitarian or related paradigms, ought not exist in the particular geologic stratum in which it rests. The existence of out-of-place artifacts is one of the most troubling controversies for archaeology today).

The figures continue to draw attention in the present day. Source
The figures continue to draw attention in the present day. Source

Since 2001 a large part of the Waldemar Julsrud Collection can be viewed in the Waldemar Julsrud Museum, the former home of Julsrud in Acámbaro.

David Goran

David Goran is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News