Rincón Colorado in Coahuila is Considered a Geological Site of Interest in Ibero-America

The Paleontological Zone of Rincón Colorado, located in Coahuila, has been included in the Geological Sites of Interest of Ibero-America, in a book published by the Association of Geological and Mining Services of Ibero-America (ASGMI).

The book was published on February 24, 2025, and brings together 73 geological sites of interest to humanity, with histories spanning from over 2 billion years ago to the present, distributed across the continental and insular territories of 16 countries, as reported by the Ministry of Tourism through a statement.

Rincón Colorado is located 26.71 miles from Saltillo, in the southeastern part of Coahuila. The book describes it as “one of the reference points that has been studied to recover, record, and generate information about dinosaurs. It was discovered by chance in the late 1970s by a treasure hunter. Its exploration and systematic study began in 1990, and due to the large amount of paleontological material found in a small area, it was named: The National Monument of Dinosaurs in Mexico.”

According to the publication, there is evidence of flora and fauna, which indicates that there were marine, transitional, and terrestrial environments 72 million years ago. A large number of dinosaur fossils were found at the site, which led to its designation as a research reserve and educational development area.

The ASGMI is a Spanish organization that brings together representatives from the geological services of Ibero-America, from around 20 member states, including Mexico. Its mission is to strengthen cooperation among geological services to face global challenges such as climate change, natural resource management, and disaster prevention, while respecting the natural and cultural diversity of the region; environmental preservation; and the responsible management of mineral, water, and energy resources.

It was also highlighted that in 2014, the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) developed a comprehensive proposal that includes the conservation and protection of existing fossils and the recovery of an educational space. From that date until 2018, high-quality infrastructure was developed for the appropriate public presentation of the visible areas.

The paleontologist in charge of the site, Felisa Aguilar Arellano, commented that the inclusion of Rincón Colorado in the ASGMI book highlights the richness and diversity of the geological and paleontological heritage, while also emphasizing the efforts of the Mexican government to preserve this area as a window to the desert’s biodiversity and the geodiversity and biodiversity of the past, particularly from the Late Cretaceous period.

Arellano emphasized that this international publication will help raise awareness of the work carried out by the INAH in protecting, conserving, and disseminating paleontological heritage.

The editorial work reinforces one of ASGMI’s key commitments, related to promoting geoscientific knowledge as the foundation for the sustainable development of communities.

From Mexican territory, five sites were chosen to appear in the publication: the selenite mega crystals of the Naica mine in Chihuahua; the springs of the Cuatro Ciénegas valley in Coahuila; the Paricutín volcano in Michoacán; the Chicxulub tsunami deposit and the Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary in Yucatán; and Rincón Colorado, the only paleontological zone in Mexico under the protection of the Ministry of Culture of the Mexican Government, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).