Mexico City  - Mexican archaeologists have for the first time found evidence of pre-Hispanic settlements in Las Labradas, in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said Wednesday that pieces of ceramic and utensils dating back about a thousand years were found in a protected nature reserve.

"The evidence could correspond to the period 900-1100 AD, relative to the Aztatlan culture," the INAH said in Mexico City.

There are plenty of pre-historic stone engravings in the area, made around 300 BC.(dpa)