Explorers Found a Cave Filled With Evidence of a Lost Civilization
Explorations of a submerged passage in the Tlayococ cave in Mexico led to an undiscovered room.
Within the room, cave explorers discovered bracelets sitting atop stalagmites and other artifacts from a lost civilization.
The motif on the shell bracelets traces to the extinct Tlacotepehuas ethnic group, about which relatively little is known.
A mapping expedition in the Tlayócoc cave in Mexico led a professional cave explorer to a hidden chamber containing shocking evidence of an extinct civilization.
Yekaterina Katiya Pavlova ventured to a community in the Sierra de Guerrero to further map the Tlayócoc cave. When Pavlova and local guide Adrián Beltrán Dimas reached the bottom of the cave, having already explored all that was mapped, they opted to head into an unknown passage through a submerged entrance. The effort paid off.
The passage led to a previously unseen room in which two engraved shell bracelets sat atop stalagmites, likely as an offering, according to a translated statement from the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
The explorers also found another bracelet, a giant snail shell, and pieces of black stone discs similar to pyrite mirrors—all of it dated to more than 500 years ago.
Archaeologists then descended on the cave, uncovering 14 total objects—three shell bracelets, a bracelet fragment, the giant snail shell, a piece of burnt wood, and pieces of eight stone discs (two of which were complete). Each of the bracelets were made from snail shells—likely a marine species—and were engraved with anthropomorphic symbols and figures.
The bracelets feature S-shaped symbols known as xonecuilli, zigzagging lines,a and circles to create human faces in profile. These designs could be meant to signify deities.
The archaeologista estimate that the items were left in the cave during the Postclassic period between 950 and 1521 A.D.—a time when the area was known to be populated by the now-extinct Tlacotepehaus ethnic group.
'This finding is of great relevance, since, with the study of the contextual relationship of the pieces of the cave, we can interpret symbolic notions, cultural aspects, manufacturing, and even trade,' Miguel Perez, INAH archaeologist, said in a statement, 'to characterize the pre-Hispanic societies settled in the Sierra de Guerrero.'
The archaeologists determined that the stalagmites were manipulated in pre-Hispanic times to give them a more spherical finish, likely to better fit with ritual needs.
'Possibly the symbols and representations of characters on the bracelets are related to pre-Hispanic cosmogony regarding creation and fertility,' Cuauhtemoc Reyes Alvarez, INAH archaeologist, said in a statement. He added that the sealed context allows experts to understand how the ancient inhabitants may have conceived of these caves—as portals to the underworld, or as sacred spaces connected to the Earth and the divine.
The black stone discs resemble others from nearby archaeological regions, such as El Infiernillo, along with ones from distant cultures like Huasteca.
Historical reports say extreme cold forced people groups living in the Sierra de Guerrero (located over 7,850 feet above sea level and filled by dense pine and oak forests) to lower altitudes. Little is known about the Tlacotepheuas, other than 16th century historical mentions of their presence. The snail-shell bracelets could help tell their story.
You Might Also Like
Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss?
Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Chinese bioweapon smuggling case shows US 'trains our enemies,' 'learned nothing' from COVID: security expert
In response to the Department of Justice charging two Chinese nationals – including a University of Michigan research fellow – with allegedly smuggling a potential "agroterrorism" weapon into the U.S., national security experts tell Fox News Digital that the Trump administration must continue to take action to prevent American colleges and companies from "essentially educating and arming our chief adversary in the world." "In some cases, it seems like we learned nothing from COVID," Christian Whiton, a former senior foreign policy advisor in the Bush and Trump administrations, told Fox News Digital. "We allow direct flights now from China to the U.S. mainland. Again, that is crazy. And the whole fact that we are allowing researchers, even in the realm of dealing with pathogens to have access anywhere in the United States, much less the universities, is pretty insane. It seems like a pre-COVID mindset." The two Chinese nationals were charged Tuesday with smuggling Fusarium graminearum fungus, a dangerous biological pathogen and "known agroterrorism agent" responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year, through Detroit's airport. The noxious substance causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, according to federal prosecutors. In humans and livestock, exposure to its toxins causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects. "It's a new take on Chinese espionage and sabotage of the US economy. But it's not a surprise. I think that China has failed to pull back on any of its aggressive activity. And this is something that the Trump administration probably wants to take into consideration," Whiton said of the case. "I think it's both the government and our universities have let down the American people." Whiton told Fox News Digital that Chinese infiltration of U.S. institutions has been happening since at least the 1990s – when Chinese spies stole American nuclear secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico – and since then, "there's been this systemic desire to put Chinese nationals into especially these technical areas, technical universities." Whiton said Beijing does not consider only Chinese citizens as its agents, as "anyone of Chinese ethnicity" have been viewed as "fair game" to be recruited. He categorized the H1-B visa program as essentially a "scam," asserting that about a quarter are awarded to Chinese nationals who "end up at some of our high-tech companies." Traditionally, Whiton explained, Republicans have believed universities should run themselves without political interference, but doing so has allowed such institutions to be taken over by left-wingers. "Taxpayers are funding these things and shouldn't be forced to fund things that are anathema to their beliefs and what they know to be true. Things like we shouldn't train our enemies at taxpayer expense," Whiton said. "So, I think it goes along with Republicans being pretty wimpy in the past, but only more recently with the emergence of the new right and the MAGA movement finally taking a tougher stand on some of these left-wing universities." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the United States does not want to de-couple with China, though Beijing has a choice whether to be a reliable partner. "The reality is China is kind of doing what it has always done," Whiton said. "So if we're looking for a change of Chinese conduct because of President Trump being in office, it just hasn't happened yet. So I can't say that's a surprise." Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration would "aggressively" revoke the student visas for Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." After a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which the White House said focused mostly on trade, President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that Chinese students were still coming and the U.S. would be "honored" to have them. Yet, the president said the students need to be properly "checked" and the administration wants lists of Chinese nationals admitted to schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, so that vetting can occur. "That's a step in the right direction," Whiton said. "But in reality, we probably need to recognize these are our chief economic and security adversary in the world and take those visa numbers down closer to zero and start sending these people home." Whiton said there is a "faulty assumption" that Chinese students would come to the United States, learn about American culture and bring an appreciation back home to China. "In reality, they sort of come over here, they're in a bubble, they pick up technical skills, and then they go back to China and put them to use for either the military directly or for corporations that are either utilized by the Chinese military or that are trying to undermine U.S. technology companies," Whiton said. "We really are essentially educating and arming our chief adversary in the world." Former Rep. Michelle Steel, a California Republican who served on the House foreign and intelligence committees, told Fox News Digital that Chinese students educated in the U.S. essentially return home without an appreciation for America. "After they study here, they took all of our brains here, and they took everything back to their country, and they are using to attack United States. And they hate United States after that education. Guess what we are teaching in the universities? Not love United States!" Steel, who was born in Korea and grew up in Japan, told Fox News Digital. "They are studying some very sensitive things in our universities. We really had to vet them well." In her eyes, U.S. universities have prioritized bringing in international students for economic gain. "Because of all the money," she said. "They try to build their endowments, and they want to just show how big their research center is." She cited the case against former Chair of Harvard University's Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, Dr. Charles Lieber, who was convicted in 2023 of lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with the People's Republic of China's Thousand Talents Program and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in Wuhan, China. Federal prosecutors said Lieber had been paid $1.5 million by the CCP and failed to report additional income of $50,000 payments per month from the WUT. "It's not just at University of Michigan, but it's just everywhere," Steel said. "We cannot bring everybody in to these universities and studying together and helping to build CCP's military. That's just totally no-no, because you know what they're doing in the Pacific areas and African countries and South American countries. And they're just expanding everywhere. And we are the only one [who] can stop [it]. And I think President Trump is doing great job." The former congresswoman pointed to how the House Select Committee on the CCP in 2023 uncovered a $220 million payment made by the Chinese government to the University of California at Berkeley to help build a massive, joint institute in China – funding which UC Berkeley failed to disclose under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. She has advocated for legislation that would decrease the reporting requirement from $250,000 to $50,000. Steel also noted that Stanford University – located in the heart of Silicon Valley in California – has a relationship with China's Peking University, which in turn has ties to the Chinese military and "goes straight into the nuclear program." The current chair of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., penned a letter to Stanford in March over concerns about U.S. universities "admitting large numbers of Chinese nationals into advanced STEM programs, potentially at the expense of qualified Americans."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Were Searching a Forest in the Clouds—and Found 100 Structures From an Ancient City
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Archaeologists with the World Monuments Fund uncovered over 100 previously unknown archaeological structures in Peru's Rio Abiseo National Park. The area in and around the park was the home of the Chachapoya civilization from the seventh through 16th centuries. Located over 6,500 feet above sea level, the members of this civilization were known as the 'people of the cloud forest.' Rio Abiseo National Park sits over 10,000 feet above sea level in Peru's San Martin region of the Andes Mountains. Plenty of its land is known to hold ancient discoveries, and archaeologists are still uncovering more. Recently, a team located over 100 previously unknown structures, all part of the Chachapoya civilization from sometime between the seventh and 16th centuries. According to a release from the World Monuments Fund, a team of archaeologists explored the Gran Pajatén area within the Rio Abiseo National Park, a UNESCO Mixed World Heritage site recognized for both cultural richness and natural beauty. The area was first rediscovered in the 1960s, and in the 1980s—the national park was officially founded in 1983—archaeological teams found 26 ancient structures. This new discovery of over 100 additional structures expands our understanding of the Chachapoya civilization, the members of which were known as the 'people of the cloud forest.' The civilization was known for sophisticated urban centers, ceremonial platforms, cliffside burial structures, and agricultural terraces. The regional chiefdom society also had a distinctive architectural and artistic language that remains on display in circular buildings, geometric friezes, and decorated burials. From 2022 through 2024, researchers used aerial and manual LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, topographic registration, and technomorphological analysis to create a detailed map of Gran Pajatén—a site with ceremonial buildings decorated with high-relief friezes, views of the cloud forest, and stone mosaics depicting human figures. The technology allowed archaeologists to see through the forest canopy, map the area, and interpret construction techniques and layout. 'What makes this moment so meaningful is not only the scale of what's been uncovered, but how we were able to do it,' Benedicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of WMF, said in a statement. 'By using advanced technology, our team was able to gather extraordinary visual and scientific documentation that brings Grant Pajaten to life—all while preserving its delicate environment.' On the ground, investigations have confirmed the Chachapoya presence at Gran Pajatén stretches back as far back as the 14th century, with soil layer analysis hinting at even earlier use of the site. Adding to the discovery is a nearby network of pre-Hispanic roads connecting the site to others in the region, supporting the theory that the civilization was part of a well-connected territory full of hierarchical systems. 'This discovery radically expands our understating of Gran Pajaten and raises new questions about the site's role in the Chachapoya world,' Juan Pablo de la Puente Brunke, executive director of WMF in Peru, said in a statement. 'Evidence now confirms that it is not an isolated complex but part of an articulated network of pre-Hispanic settlements from different periods.' The park's remote location means that the rich archaeological sites have been subject to minimal human intervention, helping protect the history with a high degree of authenticity. Many of the sites, though, are fragile, overgrown by vegetation. While there, the archaeological team undertook conservation interventions to reinforce stairs and stone reliefs, along with a partial reassembly of a perimeter wall. Ricardo Morales Gamarra, head of the conservation component of the project, said that the work can serve as a model for future efforts in the area. The Museo de Arte de Lima in Peru is now offering a free exhibition on the Chachapoya culture and the recent WFM discoveries. 'Though the site itself remains out of reach for most,' de Montlaur said, 'these tools will allow us to share its stories widely through thoughtful, immersive digital storytelling.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
'Very rare' military horse cemetery from Roman times unearthed in Germany
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed a vast horse cemetery from Roman times, a discovery that is "very rare," according to researchers. The excavation, conducted in Stuttgart's borough of Bad Cannstatt, has revealed the skeletal remains of more than 100 horses. These animals were part of a Roman cavalry unit known as Ala, which was active in what is now southwest Germany during the second century A.D., radiocarbon dating of the horses' bones revealed. "Finding such a large horse cemetery from Roman times is very rare," Sarah Roth, the archaeologist in charge at the State Office for Monument Preservation (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council, told Live Science in an email. While a few horse burials had been found in Bad Cannstatt since the 1920s, a 2024 excavation ahead of a new construction project revealed that the burial ground was teeming with equid remains. "We hadn't expected to find so many horses still preserved in the ground," Roth said. "This was truly a surprise!" The warhorse cemetery also held the remains of a Roman-era man buried on his stomach and without grave goods, indicating that he likely was an outsider who wasn't held in high esteem. "Its [the body's] position suggests that the man was 'disposed of' here rather than given a regular burial," as a regular cemetery for people was only about 0.3 miles (0.5 kilometers) away, Roth said. Related: Roman-era skeletons buried in embrace, on top of a horse, weren't lovers, DNA analysis shows The Roman cavalry unit at Bad Cannstatt patrolled the border of the Roman Empire from about A.D. 100 to 150. "The horsemen were responsible for controlling their section of the border," Roth said. "As horses were the fastest means of transport on land at the time, they were in particular used in urgent emergencies." Ala likely included nearly 500 riders and at least 700 horses, according to a translated statement from LAD. When the unit's horses died, the Romans buried them in a specific area that was about 1,312 feet (400 meters) from the cavalry fort and 656 feet (200 m) from the civilian settlement. The dead horses were dragged into shallow pits and buried on their sides with their legs bent or straight. These burials likely had markers in Roman times, as they were packed closely together yet had very little overlap, Roth said in the statement. Image 1 of 2 In a rare burial, one of the horses was buried with grave goods next to its upper legs. Image 2 of 2 Archaeological work ahead of a new construction project by the Stuttgart Housing and Urban Development Company revealed the horse cemetery. Excavations of the cemetery started in July 2024. "The horses do not all appear to have died at the same time in a major event such as a battle or epidemic," Roth said in the statement. "Rather, the animals buried here either died of illness, injury, or other reasons during the Ala's presence in Bad Cannstatt." Alternatively, it's possible some "were no longer able to fulfill their role as military horses," she added. "If the horse could still walk on its own, it would have been brought to the horse cemetery and killed on site to avoid having to transport the heavy carcass." RELATED STORIES —Lasers reveal Roman-era circus in Spain where 5,000 spectators watched horse-drawn chariot races —Cold War satellite images reveal nearly 400 Roman forts in the Middle East —Remains of 1,600-year-old Roman fort unearthed in Turkey One buried horse was clearly dear to its owner; it was buried with two jugs and a small oil lamp nestled in the crook of one of its front legs. Grave goods such as these are typically found in Roman-era burials for humans, making the jug and lamp "unusual" to find among horse bones, Roth told Live Science. "Of the approximately 100 horses we were able to examine, only one had received grave goods," she said. The horse cemetery offers a rare look at the use of horses in the Roman army. Further analyses will reveal the horses' sexes, ages at death and their sizes, as well as possible diseases they had and their causes of death. Future studies may also reveal their ancestral roots, where they were bred and if they were well kept and fed.
