Experts discover ancient ocher mine in Mexican underwater cave

Cave divers in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula have reportedly found one of the oldest ocher mines in the continent. As per reports, the experts believe that the discovery of the underwater caves could explain why ancient skeletons were found in the narrow, twisting labyrinths of now-submerged sinkhole caves. 

Around 8,000 years ago, the rising sea level had flooded the caves around the Caribbean coast resort of Tulum. Archaeologists had reportedly found nine sets of human skeletal remains, however, they were unable to determine how the early inhabitants reached the underwater caves, whose passages are barely big enough to squeeze through. The recent discovery of the 900 meters of the ocher mines suggests that the caves might have had a more powerful attraction. 

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According to an international media outlet, the experts believe that the discovery of remains of human-set fires, stacked mining debris, simple stone tools, navigational aids and digging sites suggests that humans went into the now submerged caves around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in a bid to find the iron-rich red ocher, which people prized for decoration and rituals. The archaeologists further noted that the early miners probably used firewood torches to light their work and break pieces of stalagmites to pound out the ocher. The experts said that the smoke created by the firewood left marks on the roof of the cave that is still visible. 

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Ocher has a ‘powerful attraction’ 

The researchers from the Research Center for the Aquifer System of Quintana Roo (CINDAQ) wrote, “There had been speculation about what would have driven them into places so complex and hazardous to navigate, such as temporary shelter, freshwater, or burial of human remains, but none of the previous speculations was well-supported by archaeological evidence”. 

They further added, “Now, for the first time we know why the people of this time would undertake the enormous risk and effort to explore these treacherous caves”. 

Roberto Junco Sánchez, the head of underwater archaeology for Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History further said that the discovery of the ocher mine also means that caves were altered by the human at an early date. Sánchez also noted that the early miners may have removed tons of ocher as they did not just risk entering the maze of caves just to get water or flee from predators. The experts noted that among the first inhabitants of the Americas, ocher had an especially ‘powerful attraction’. 

(Inputs, image: AP) 

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