We dedicate our work to our coauthor, colleague, and friend, Pilar Luna Erreguerena, who passed away on March 15, 2020.  Pilar was a pioneer and tireless champion for the study and conservation of underwater cultural heritage in Mexico and around the world, Pilar will be missed by all who knew her and will continue to inspire future generations of diving scientists throughout the Americas.

PLEASE ACCESS THE PAPER VIA THIS LINK: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/27/eaba1219

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The research into the site has been led by Pilar Luna Erreguerena and Roberto Junco of the Subdireccion de Arqueología Subacuática del INAH.  The CINDAQ dive team created a high grade map of the cave system and documented the site with 3-dimensional modeling of the mine and its many features.  Additionally, a 360 degree camera was taken to the site to document it in high resolution. Researchers from Mexico, Canada, and the United States have sampled and analyzed the exposed mineral deposits to learn what resources were being exploited and to radiocarbon date wood from ancient fires to establish when this mine was active. 

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To accomplish a thorough and detailed documentation of this remarkable site, the CINDAQ team performed more than 100 dives, totaling nearly 600 diver hours underwater. In all, 19 divers were involved in the mapping effort. An additional 100 diver hours were dedicated to acquiring the nearly 18,000 images used for the 3D photogrammetric models, which are enabling researchers to “virtually” access and study this remote subterranean mining complex. 

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WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

• The discovery has the potential to help us understand the social and behavioral complexities of the region’s earliest inhabitants.

• This new research shows ochre was of great, if not critical, importance to the culture and lives of Paleoamericans, given they were willing to take such enormous risks to get it. Red ochre is the most commonly identified inorganic paint, used throughout human history. It’s considered to be a key component of human evolutionary development and behavioral complexity. Ochre minerals were collected for use in rock paintings, mortuary practices, painted objects and personal adornment. They may even have had medicinal qualities.

• The mining activity from more than 10,000 years ago also shows the early application of geological principles that were only documented 400 years ago.

• Together with the exploration of Hoyo Negro, where the remains of Naia were found, the exploration of these caves is advancing research techniques, especially using 3D photogrammetry and virtual reality.

• The abundance and diversity of animal and plant remains found in these submerged caves enables scientists to recreate what the environment was like for Ice Age Americans.

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CINDAQ is grateful for the support of landowner Adolfo Ruiz-Ortega and his family.

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PLEASE NOTE: The models and videos on this page are best viewed on a desktop/laptop computer and not on a mobile device. 

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