Судлаачид Юкатаны хойгийн үерт автсан агуйгаас эртний хүний үлдэгдлийг илрүүлсэн нь бүс нутгийн түүхийг судлахад чухал ач холбогдолтой байна.
Мексикийн Юкатаны хойгийн Тулум болон Плайя-дель-Кармен хотуудын хооронд орших усаар дүүрсэн агуйгаас мэргэжлийн шумбагч Петер Брогер хүний гавлын ясны хэлтэрхий болон бусад ясыг санамсаргүйгээр олжээ. Уг олдвор нь газрын гадаргаас 8 метрийн гүнд, тунадасан давхаргад хагас дарагдсан байдалтай байсан бөгөөд шинжээчдийн үзэж буйгаар дор хаяж 8000 жилийн настай байж болзошгүй юм.
Археологич Октавио дель Рио болон түүний баг уг олдвор нь зан үйлийн зорилгоор тунадасан овоолго дээр зориуд байрлуулсан байж магадгүй гэсэн таамаг дэвшүүлж байна. Энэ нь сүүлийн гучин жилийн хугацаанд тус бүс нутгаас олдсон арван нэг дэх хүний яс бөгөөд үнэн зөв он цагийг тогтоох, нарийвчилсан шинжилгээ хийх шаардлагатай байгааг судлаачид онцолжээ.
Эдгээр агуй нь сүүлчийн мөстлөгийн үед хуурай газар байсан бөгөөд далайн түвшин нэмэгдэж, мөс хайлсны улмаас үерт автсан байна. Тухайн үед тус бүс нутаг нь усны нөөц хомс, хагас хуурай саванна байсан тул эртний хүмүүс гүний ус бүхий сэрүүн агуйг хоргодох байр болгон ашигладаг байсан гэж эрдэмтэд тайлбарладаг.
Бүс нутагт хийгдэж буй төмөр замын бүтээн байгуулалт болон аялал жуулчлалын өсөлт нь эдгээр эмзэг экосистемийг эрсдэлд оруулж болзошгүйг геологич Эмилиано Монрой-Риос анхааруулж байна. Судлаачид эдгээр олдворуудыг бүрэн баримтжуулж амжихгүй бол бүтээн байгуулалтын улмаас агуйн орчин сүйдэх эсвэл хүрэх боломжгүй болох магадлалтай байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A cave diver has come across fragmentary human remains deep inside a flooded cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The skeleton is thought to be at least 8,000 years old, and it may well be older. Archaeologists now hope to study it before development reaches the area.
The Yucatán’s cenotes, the sinkhole caves strung along the coast between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, are known to tourists for their beauty. Less obvious is what they hide: human remains and artifacts from a time when these caves were dry land.
Time may be running out to explore the region’s hidden underground world. With railway construction and tourism expanding, researchers are eager to document what remains accessible.
A Discovery In The Dark
Professional cave diver Peter Broger first spotted the shattered skull and bone fragments, then contacted archaeologist Octavio del Río, who frequently collaborates with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. Reaching the site was no small thing: the pair needed specialized equipment to swim through 656 feet (200 meters) of passageways, and cave diving, as the article itself reminds us, can be perilous.
The remains lay partly covered in sediment, 26 feet (8 meters) below the surface. Further investigation suggested the body had been intentionally placed on a pile of sediment, likely as part of a ritual funerary practice. Del Río noted this is the eleventh skeleton to turn up in the region in the last three decades, which is as long as he has been exploring the cenotes. Even so, he urged caution:
“We don’t know if the body was deposited there or if that was where this person died,” he told the Associated Press, adding that: “There is a lot more study[ing] that has to be done in order to interpret [the burial] […] [including] dating, some photographic studies and some collection.”
Why 8,000 Years, And Why Possibly More?
The age estimate rests on geology rather than on a direct date. The skeleton is considered at least 8,000 years old because that was the last time the caves were above ground, before they flooded and became cenotes at the end of the last Ice Age. Melting ice raised sea levels, floods followed, and the cave ceilings collapsed. Because of that, 8,000 is only a minimum.
The remains sat too far from the cave entrance to have been left by later Paleoamericans, who lived long before any underwater survival equipment, let alone gear designed for cave diving, existed. Back then, the peninsula was a semi-arid savannah with no rivers or lakes. Water and shade were scarce, so some researchers think ancient peoples sought relief from the Sun in caves fed by fresh water from underground.
What’s Next for Our Older Companions?
This is not the oldest find in the region. Another skeleton, estimated at 10,000 to 12,000 years old, was found in a different cenote surrounded by evidence of bonfires. That may suggest funerary practices involved lighting the dark cave, though whether the purpose was religious or practical is unknown. The oldest known skeleton among the cenotes is Eva de Naharon, at 13,721 years old, the oldest known human fossil in the Americas so far.
Meanwhile, the Maya Train system, which then-outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador intended to connect Tulum and other tourist destinations to more remote jungles and archaeological sites, threatens these environments. As reported by geologist Emiliano Monroy-Ríos of Northwestern University:
“These ecosystems are very, very fragile,” he said. “They are building upon a land […] full of caves and cavities of different sizes and at different depths.”
Some cenotes may already be unsafe to explore, because of falling stalactites or water polluted by iron seeping from rusting steel pillars.
Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to our free newsletter for engaging stories, exclusive content, and the latest news.
