Remnants of at least 60 mammoths and 15 human burials have been discovered in Mexico City during construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport on the site of the Santa Lucía military airbase in Zumpango.

The findings represent “a very important sample to carry out many studies in the world on these mammals,” said Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava, national coordinator of archaeology of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, known as INAH.

The remnants found are those of Colombian mammoths, “a species with a substantial presence in North America, which boomed 35,000 years ago and became extinct about 12,000 years ago,” Sánchez Nava said.

The remains of the mammoths, dating to the Pleistocene era, were found in the shallows of the the former ancient Lake Xaltocan, which attracted animals with generous amounts of grass and reeds, Sánchez Nava said.

“It is possible that [the mammoths] were guided to enter the mud,” said Sánchez Nava, explaining that it was most likely a way for humans to hunt and capture the huge mammals.