By Richard Fariña and Martín Batallés, Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay
The Arroyo del Vizcaíno palaeontological site, near the town of Sauce, Uruguay, tells a story of giant mammals now disappeared, with the particular addition of possible evidence of a very ancient human presence.

It is possibly the largest deposits of extinct mammals in Uruguay, due to the enormous number of fossils accumulated there, its exceptional state of preservation and the diversity of species found. The site is about 30,000 years old and contains fossils belonging to animals of the impressive South American megafauna, the huge mammals that lived during the Pleistocene. Remains of giant sloths, glyptodons, sabre-toothed tigers, mastodons, toxodons, prehistoric horses and deer have been found at the site.
Discovered in 1997 by local residents, its first fossils were collected and preserved by students and teachers at the local high school. Since 2011 the excavations and research have been carried out by a team of palaeontologists from the Facultad de Ciencias of the Universidad de la República. The over 2,000-specimen collection is located at a research centre in the town of Sauce. Research, preparation and conservation tasks are carried out there, as well as a scientific and heritage outreach project.
The fossils extracted and those that remain to be collected ensure work for many years and give the site enormous importance, but there is still more: marks on some fossils suggest that humans are responsible for their manufacture. As if this were not enough, the dates indicate a surprisingly high age, over 30,000 years. This would add the Arroyo del Vizcaíno to the recent list of American sites with evidence of ancient human presence. Findings such as Monte Verde (Chile) or Pedra Furada (Brazil) suggest the arrival of humans to the continent thousands of years before it was supposed, opening a discussion to which the Arroyo del Vizcaíno provides new evidence.

The project also has a strong vocation for outreach and science popularisation. In parallel to the excavations, extensive work has been carried out in relation to the community, with talks and workshops in schools and high schools, publication of books, communication through social networks and websites, open days on the site and in the collection, as well as participation in events such as Heritage Day and Museums at Night and the creation of educational projects of national and international scope such as Megafauna 3D.
Santa Isabel St and Francisca Pascual de Artigas (premises of the Liceo Sauce 2), Sauce, Canelones, Uruguay.
To visit, email us at arroyodelvizcaino@fcien.edu.uy
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Vimeo
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Nathalie Richard (June 16, 2021). Arroyo del Vizcaíno, Uruguay. SciCoMove — Scientific Collections on the Move. Retrieved May 18, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/twra