M'dziko lathu muli malo ang'onoang'ono, omwe zomera ndi zinyama zake ndizolemera kuposa zomwe zimawonedwa m'malo akulu anyanja zina. Titha kunena kuti pali nyengo yaying'ono yopititsa patsogolo mitundu yachilengedwe, ina yomwe mwina yasowa kumadera ena a Mexico.
Tawuni yomwe imadziwika ndi dzina la chigwa ili pakati pake panali malo opangira shuga komanso malo ogulitsira mafuta. Kuchokera kwa iwo-osati kutchalitchi, monga zimachitikira m'matawuni ena- nyumbazi zimagawidwa pakati paminda yodzala khofi, nthochi, nzimbe ndi chayote. Umenewu udali, mpaka pano, tawuni yotukuka pomwe chilichonse chimawoneka kuti sichingafikiridwe: madzi amiyala, mitengo yazipatso ndi mthunzi wa migwalangwa ya Coyolera.
Mitundu yambiri ya asauriya yakula m'chigwachi. Mmodzi wa iwo wakhala akuchita chidwi kwambiri: Xenosaurius Grandis. Kuzipeza sizili zovuta, bola ngati tili ndi chithandizo komanso kukoma mtima kwa anthu ngati Don Rafael Julián Cerón, yemwe m'mawa uja tidayenda naye kutsetsereka la phiri lokongola lomwe limalamulira chigwa, ngati kuti anali woyang'anira wake. Tidafikira pamalo otsetsereka pomwe miyala yayikulu idatuluka pansi: tidali m'maiko a xenosaurus. Mapiri ali ndi malo okwera a Chicahuaxtla, dzina lomwe limaperekedwa ku phiri lomwe nsonga yake ili pamamita 1,400 pamwamba pamadzi, madzi ake omwe amatha kuwoneka, m'masiku omveka, kuchokera pamwambowu. Dzinalo limatanthauza "kugwedeza", mwina kukumbukira chicauaztli, ndodo yomwe amagwiritsidwa ntchito ndi ansembe am'mbuyomu ku Spain.
Pamodzi ndi a saurian, pali zamoyo zina zopezeka m'nyanjazi zomwe zakhala zikukopa akatswiri azinyama padziko lonse lapansi kuyambira koyambirira kwa zaka za zana lino. Izi ndi zitsanzo zapadera, monga salamander wotchedwa linea (Lineatriton Lineola) ndi mitundu yaying'ono kwambiri ya achule, yomwe anthu am'deralo amawona kuti ndi yaying'ono kwambiri padziko lapansi. Kuphatikiza pa xenosaurus, tidzatchulanso anthu ena a m'chigwachi, monga bronia (Bronia Taeniata) ndi teterete kapena querreque odziwika bwino (Basiliscus Vittatus). Yoyamba mwa iyo ndi gawo la mtundu wa Gerhonotus ndipo imatha mpaka 35 sentimita. Amakhala m'mitengo ndi m'tchire, momwe mumadya tizilombo ndi tizilombo tina tating'onoting'ono. Yamphongoyo ili ndi khola pakati pakhosi, mtundu womwe umasintha msanga molingana ndi momwe nyama ilili. M'nyengo yokwatirana, amakonda kukweza mitu yawo ndikuwonetsa matayala owoneka bwino pakhungu lankhungu ili, lomwe limakopa akazi. Amakhala achiwawa ngati asokonezedwa, koma ngakhale ali abale apamtima a Heloderma (Gila monster), siowopsa ndipo kuluma kwawo kulibe zotsatira zina kupatula kupweteka kwambiri, pokhapokha atanyalanyazidwa komanso kutenga kachilomboka. Bronia imapereka kutsanzira kwina; kuti iziteteze imasintha mitundu malinga ndi chilengedwe. Ili ndi zizolowezi zosintha nthawi zonse ndipo imaikira mazira ake pansi, pomwe imaphimbidwa ndikusiyidwa. Kutulutsa kumabwera miyezi iwiri pambuyo pake.
Nkhani ya teterete ndiyosangalatsa, chifukwa saurian uyu, wochokera kubanja la Iguánidae komanso kuchokera ku mtundu wa Basiliscus (womwe pali mitundu yambiri ku Mexico) amayenda pamadzi. Mwina ndiye nyama yokhayo padziko lapansi yomwe ingachite izi, ndichifukwa chake chilankhulo cha Chingerezi chimadziwika kuti Jesus alligator. Imakwaniritsa kuyamikiraku, osati kumatenda omwe amalumikizana ndi zala zakumiyendo zake zakumbuyo, koma chifukwa chothamanga kwambiri komwe imayenda komanso kutha kuyenda molunjika, kudalira miyendo yake yakumbuyo. Izi zimalola kuti idutse pamadziwe, m'misewu komanso ngakhale mafunde, osalimba kwambiri, amitsinje. Kuwonera ndiwonetsero. Mitundu ina ndi yaying'ono, 10 cm kapena kuchepera, koma ina ndi yopitilira 60 cm. Mitundu yawo ya ocher, yakuda ndi yachikaso imawalola kuti azisakanikirana bwino ndi zomera m'mphepete mwa mitsinje ndi madambo, komwe amakhala. Amadya tizilombo. Wamphongo ali ndi chotupa pamutu, chomwe chimakhala chakuthwa kwambiri. Miyendo yake yakutsogolo ndi yayifupi kwambiri kuposa yakumbuyo kwake. Amatha kuwonekera ndikukwera mitengo ndipo, ngati kuli kofunikira, ndi ena abwino omwe amakhala m'madzi kwa nthawi yayitali, mpaka adani awo atazimiririka.
Rafael ndi anyamata ake amayang'ana m'ming'alu yamiyala, amadziwa kuti ndiwo omwe amakhala a xenosaur. Sizitenga nthawi kuti apeze yoyamba ya zokwawa izi. Ndi zizolowezi zakusintha, amasirira kwambiri gawo lawo, lomwe nthawi zambiri amalimbana. Pokhapokha atakwatirana, palibe wowonekerapo kamodzi. Amakhala paokha ndipo amadya nkhono ndi tizilombo tina, ngakhale nthawi zina amatha kudya nyama zopanda mafupa. Kuwoneka kwawo kowopseza kwapangitsa kuti alimi awaphe. Komabe, Rafael Cerón akutiuza atagwira chimodzi mdzanja lake, kutali ndi poizoni, amachita zabwino zambiri, popeza amapha tizilombo tovulaza. Amangokhala aukali ngati atasokonezedwa ndipo ngakhale mano awo ndi ochepa, nsagwada zawo ndizolimba kwambiri ndipo zimatha kuvulaza kwambiri yomwe imafuna chisamaliro. Ndi oviparous, monga ambiri a saurians. Amatha kufika 30 cm, ali ndi mutu wofanana ndi amondi ndipo maso, ofiira kwambiri, ndiye chinthu choyamba chomwe chimazindikira kupezeka kwawo tikayang'ana mumthunzi wa mphako.
Mkati mwa gulu la zokwawa, gawo lanyanja la saurian lili ndi nyama zomwe zapulumuka ndikusintha pang'ono kuyambira nthawi zakale, zina kuyambira nthawi ya Cretaceous, zaka 135 miliyoni zapitazo. Chimodzi mwazinthu zazikuluzikulu ndikuti matupi awo amadzazidwa ndi masikelo, cholumikizira chowotcha chomwe chitha kupangidwanso kangapo pachaka ndikuthira. Xenosaurus amawerengedwa kuti ndi buku lamoyo, laling'ono, la Eriops, omwe mabwinja awo akuwonetsa kuti idakhala zaka mamiliyoni zapitazo ndipo voliyumu yake yoposa mamitala awiri silingafanane ndi ya abale ake apano. Chodabwitsa, xenosaur sakhala m'zipululu zakumpoto kwa Mexico monga abale ake omwe amakhala ku Chihuahua ndi Sonora, komwe kuli Petrosaurus (rock saurian), yomwe imawoneka chimodzimodzi. M'malo mwake, malo ake amakhala achinyezi kwambiri.
Adani okhawo a saurians a Cuauhtlapan Valley ndi mbalame zodya nyama, njoka ndipo, zowonadi, anthu. Sikuti timangopeza anthu omwe amawagwira ndikuwapha popanda chifukwa, koma kutukuka kwa madera oyandikana nawo a Ixtaczoquitlán ndi Orizaba kumabweretsa chiwopsezo chachikulu ku zinyama ndi zomera ku Cuauhtlapan.
Kampani yopanga mapepala m'derali yataya dothi lake lowonongeka m'nthaka zachonde zokhala ndi zamoyo zambirimbiri, motero kuwononga malo awo okhala. Kuphatikiza apo, amatulutsa madzi akuda m'mitsinje ndi mitsinje momwe zidole zimayang'anizana ndi imfa. Ndikumangika kwa olamulira, moyo umatayika.
Mbalamezi zinali zikulengeza kale za usiku womwe tinachoka ku Cuauhtlapan Valley. Kuchokera pamawonekedwe omwe akuzungulira, ndizovuta kusamutsa malingaliro kupita nthawi zam'mbuyomu, tikayang'ana pansi m'malo omwe amakhala ndi xenosaurs, bronias ndi teteretes; ndiye titha kuganiza za malo a Cretaceous. Pachifukwa ichi tinayenera kuyang'ana malo amodzi omwe amapezeka kale momwe zingathere; tinayenera kuthawa chimney, miyala, malo otayira poizoni ndi zonyansa. Tikukhulupirira m'tsogolomu malo awa adzawonjezeka ndipo tikukhulupirira kuti njira yakuthana nawo kwathunthu idzasinthidwa.
MUKAPITA KU VALLE DE CUAUHTLAPAN
Tengani khwalala ayi. 150 kulowera ku Veracruz ndipo mutadutsa Orizaba, pitilizani kudutsa ku Fortín de las Flores. Chigwa choyamba chomwe mukuwona ndi Cuauhtlapan Valley, chomwe chimayang'aniridwa ndi phiri la Chicahuaxtla. Muthanso kutenga njira yayikulu ayi. 150, kudutsa mzinda wa Puebla ndi mphambano yachiwiri kupita ku Orizaba, tulukani. Njirayi imakufikitsani molunjika ku Cuauhtlapan Valley, yomwe ili pafupifupi 10 km kuchokera kupatuka. Mkhalidwe wa mseu ndi wabwino kwambiri; komabe, m'chigwacho misewu yambiri ndimisewu yadothi.
Onse awiri a Córdoba, Fortín de las Flores ndi Orizaba ali ndi ntchito zonse.
Gwero: Unknown Mexico No. 260 / October 1998
