Two speleologists in Mexico, while exploring a mountain cave, stumbled upon a pile of "garbage" that turned out to be a repository of artifacts from an ancient, extinct culture that operated nearly 5 centuries ago. This is reported by Livescience, reports UNN.
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Upon closer inspection, researchers discovered that the "pile of garbage" is a cache of artifacts that may have been used in rituals to enhance fertility over 500 years ago.
I peeked inside and it seemed to me that the cave had a further passage. To get through it, you had to hold your breath and dive a little. That's when we discovered two rings around the stalagmites
The cave, called Tlayokok, is located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, at an altitude of approximately 2,380 meters (7,800 feet) above sea level. Tlayokok, which in the indigenous Nahuatl language means "Badger Cave," is known locally as a source of water and bat guano.
In September 2023, Pavlova and local guide Adrian Beltran Dimas ventured to look into the cave. They may have been among the first to enter it in five centuries.
At a depth of approximately 150 m in the cave, the ceiling dropped. The two researchers had to pass a flooded area with a gap of only 15 centimeters between the water and the cave ceiling.
Adrian didn't risk going any further. But the water was deep enough, and I went first to show him it wasn't that difficult, Pavlova said. Looking around, Pavlova and Beltran were shocked to discover 14 artifacts.
It was very exciting and incredible! We were very lucky
Among the artifacts were four shell bracelets, a giant decorated snail shell, two whole stone discs. As well as 6 disc fragments and a piece of carbonized wood. The researchers contacted the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, which engaged archaeologists to recover the artifacts.
Given the location of the bracelets, which were draped over small rounded stalagmites with "phallic connotations," archaeologists have suggested that fertility rituals were likely performed in the Tlayokok cave, according to their statement.
For pre-Hispanic cultures, caves were sacred places associated with the underworld and considered the womb of the Earth.
Three bracelets have engraved decorations. The S-shaped symbol, known as "xonekuilli," is associated with the planet Venus and the measurement of time. While the profile of a humanoid figure may represent the creator god Quetzalcoatl. Scientists dated the artifacts to the post-classical period of Mesoamerican history, between 950 and 1521 AD. They may have been made by members of the little-known Tlakotepehua culture that inhabited the region.
Let us remember
In Hungary, archaeologists have discovered treasures dating back 3,400 years on the extinct Somló volcano. Researchers found 900 metal objects, including jewelry and military decorations, dating back to the late Bronze Age. The find will help to better understand the transition between the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age.