Scientists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico have found 198 ancient artifacts and remains of living things inside Sak Aktun, the world's largest underwater cave system. Its underground cavities were used by the Maya for sacrifices, since they were considered the gateway to the afterlife. Writes about this publication Science Alert.
Divers discovered the bones of people and animals, whose age reached at least nine thousand years. So, at the bottom lay the fossils of creatures that lived during the last Ice Age, including giant sloths, bears and gomphoteria. According to scientists, the cave was a trap for those who inadvertently fell into it: animals and people could not get out of it.
In addition, pieces of pottery, wall engravings and objects of religious worship were found. 140 of the nearly 200 items belonged to the Mayan culture.
The total length of Sak-Aktun is 347 kilometers, which makes it the second largest underground cave in the world. The first place is occupied by the Mammoth Cave in the USA (more than 587 kilometers long), most of which is dry.
Exploration of the giant underground system began in 1997 with the Gran Cenote cenote. The caverns are scattered throughout the Yucatan and were considered sacred by the Maya. They are the only sources of drinking water on the peninsula, which is why Native Americans built cities and other settlements around them.