Authorities Responding to Looting Ends Up Discovering a Pre-Hispanic Mortuary Cave In The Mountains of Mexico

Amidst the mountains of Coahuila, Mexico, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient mortuary cave. Experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) found the cave. They collaborated with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) for the project, as reported by Heritage Daily. Archaeologists were able to unearth human remains from inside the mortuary cave. Based on how things were arranged, researchers concluded that people interred in the chamber were put in bundles and laid to rest. Further, they believe that the establishment was used by a pre-Hispanic culture. The team is associating the burial chambers with the nomadic groups that supposedly lived in the area 500 years ago.

Discovery of the Ancient Mortuary

The ancient mortuary cave was detected through a survey of mountains in Coahuila de Zaragoza. Officials were spurred to action when a citizen complained about looting in the area, as reported by the Miami Herald. The citizen claimed that several historical bones were being stolen from a site in Coahuila. Volunteers from the Coahuilense Speleology Association were also called on board and helped in finding the cave entrance in the mountains of the Ocampo Natural Protected Area.

Inside the Cave

The entrance led archaeologists into a narrow vertical shaft, less than 2 feet in width. The team had to travel 13 feet to reach the end of this part, where they found an opening to another shaft. After entering the second shaft, the team had to go down 26 feet to reach the bottom. This time, they found themselves in a semicircular chamber containing a collection of bones. Analysis indicated that the chamber was used by pre-Hispanic communities who used burial bundles to inter their people. In this kind of burial, individuals who have passed away, along with other objects, are wrapped in fabric and then put into the ground. 

Yuri de la Rosa Gutiérrez, an archaeologist involved in the project, shared that many people in these communities worked as rope makers, which could be a reason why the mortuary cave was made underground. People from this community might use ropes to do all the back and forth from the chamber to the surface, something which even modern-day cavers do. 

Suspected Looting of the Chamber

In the cave, archaeologists found scattered bones and pieces of fabric. These findings confirmed that bundle burials had taken place. However, they did not find any objects buried with the individuals. It could mean that the place had been looted, and the robber had gone off with supposedly precious artifacts. To prevent any further compromise of the site, archaeologists decided to remove the burials from the site and take them to a safe place. During the collection, the team spotted 12 complete skulls, amongst which five turned out to be those of infants. Archaeologists also found hundreds of bone fragments at the site. Further examinations indicated that the remains in the cave belonged to at least 17 different people. The team also detected 15 textile fragments from the site, which came from four distinct mats. At present, the burials are housed safely in the Regional Museum of La Laguna.