huellas

Huellas is the plural of huella in Spanish, and it denotes an impression or mark left by contact with a surface. The term covers both literal traces and figurative signs, and it is used across everyday language and specialized contexts alike.

In the literal sense, huellas refer to footprints or tracks created when a person or animal steps on soil, mud, snow, or other materials. They are studied in disciplines such as paleontology, archaeology, and forensics; fossilized footprints are often described as huellas fósiles. The size, shape, and arrangement of huellas can provide clues about gait, behavior, and species.

In a broader, figurative sense, huellas describe signals or influences that remain after an event or the presence of a person. A culture, memory, or history can leave visible or invisible huellas on communities, and the expression dejar huellas is common in literature, journalism, and conversation.

Common specialized phrases include huellas dactilares (fingerprints); huella digital, used for both fingerprint and digital footprint; huellas ecológicas (ecological footprint); and huellas de carbono (carbon footprint). These terms appear in criminology, environmental science, and discussions of sustainability.