22nd International Conference on Subterranean Biology

The 22nd International Conference on Subterranean Biology will be held on 31 August to 5 September 2014 in Juriquilla, Querétaro, México. 

This meeting is held every two years and I believe this may be the first time it is held in Mexico. 

Juriquilla is about a 2-hour drive northwest from Mexico City and surrounded by beautiful and diverse karst and non-karst landscapes. 

Registration and more information for this conference is available at http://sistemas.fciencias.unam.mx/~22icsb/html/.

Mexican archaeologists find Olmec and pre Olmec ceramics inside cave in the State of Guerrero

Inside a cave in the municipality of Cocula, north of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, specialists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) found a Mezcala type figurine and fragments of braziers that date back to the year 700 AD; in this same context, they found Olmec and pre Olmec ceramic which dates back to 1000 and 1200 BC, as well as osseous remains, which means this emptiness had different uses and was a place of funerary cult.

Archaeologist Miguel Perez Negrete, from the INAH center in Guerrero, detailed that the Mezcala figurine is complete, and its finding is relevant because of the few discoveries that have been made of these kinds of pieces, only twelve have been found in the region during this decade. These sculptures are schematic and small, made with stone. 

The Mezcala culture is one of the civilizations that has been developing along the Balsas River, even toward the limits of the state of Guerrero, which has been identified primarily because of its architectonic style and anthropomorphic figurines. 

“The one found in recent days, is a human representation in limestone, 8 centimeters [3.14 inches] tall, and like others that have been found, the gender of the figurine cannot be distinguished. Something noticeable is that it doesn’t have slanted eyes, but round, like dots. Along the figurine they also found White Grainy ceramic which is very sandy. This type of material was used in the Epiclassic period (700 AD)”, explained the archaeologist. 

These figurines are hard to find; during the 80’s they found seven pieces located in Xalitla, and during the years 2005 and 2007 they discovered another four in Mezcala and Atzcala. This means to say, they had eleven figurines archaeologically registered in this part of Guerrero, and with this last one in Oxtotenco, there are now 12. 

The specialist indicated that the discovery was made during the maintenance repairs of a road in a plateau called Oxtotenco, outside the community of Atzcala, where INAH effectuated the archaeological rescue of these vestiges. 

“The most surprising thing was that as we excavated, we found Olmec ceramic, whose antiquity is estimated to date back to the year 1000 and 1200 before our era, meaning this ceramic is more than 3,000 years old. This indicates the cave had two occupations, a prehistoric one and one corresponding to the Mezcala tradition, about 1300 years ago.” 

“This finding also reveals that during the Epiclassic the cave was associated with the occupation of traditional Mezcala groups in Oxtotenco”, added the archaeologist Miguel Perez Negrete.

Source: Art Daily

Cave paintings uncovered in Burgos, Mexico

Archaeologists in Mexico have found 4,926 well-preserved cave paintings in the north-eastern region of Burgos.

The images in red, yellow, black and white depict humans, animals and insects, as well as skyscapes and abstract scenes.

The paintings were found in 11 different sites - but the walls of one cave were covered with 1,550 scenes.

The area in which they were found was previously thought not to have been inhabited by ancient cultures.

The paintings suggest that at least three groups of hunter-gatherers dwelled in the San Carlos mountain range.

Experts have not yet been able to date the paintings, but hope to chemically analyse their paint to find out their approximate age.'No objects'

"We have not found any ancient objects linked to the context, and because the paintings are on ravine walls and in the rainy season the sediments are washed away, all we have is gravel," said archaeologist Gustavo Ramirez, from the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (Inah).

In one of the caves, the experts found depictions of the atlatl, a pre-Hispanic hunting weapon that had not yet been seen in other paintings in the Tamaulipas state.

The paintings are being considered an important find because they document the presence of pre-Hispanic peoples in a region where "before it was said that nothing was there", Mr Ramirez said.

Cave Depth Record Achieved Using KISS Rebreather

Expedition diver Jason Mallinson describes a record-setting dive into the Western Hemisphere’s deepest cave, using the Classic KISS rebreather.


Mexico’s Sistema Huautla is perhaps one of the most complex of the world’s deep caves. With 17 entrances and numerous independent and physically demanding deep routes, dropping nearly a mile into the earth, this dark labyrinth requires extensive rope work and multiple days of effort to reach the lower depths of the system. The last extension to the cave took place in 1994, when Dr William Stone used his self-designed CIS Lunar rebreather to pass what was then considered the terminal sump. Staging their dive from a portable platform suspended over a pool of water, the transiting a flooded tunnel and went on to discovered some 3.3km (2 miles) of new passage, but were ultimately stopped by Sump 9.(...)

Read more: UnderWaterJournal.com

San Actun and dos Ojos cave System - World's 2nd longest cave

During the August 2012 expedition a dry cave connection was made between Sistema Dos Ojo's Don's $100 Cenote entrance and Sistema Sac Actun's (Nohoch Nah Chich) Pet Cemetery entrance. It follows a similar path taken by Kay Walten, Gary Walten, and Dan Lins over a decade ago. 

The following team helped surveying the new connection: Don Arburn, Gill Ediger, Aida Ferreira, Devra Heyer, Carrie Hutchins, Pat Kambesis, Chris Lloyd, Rene Rogers Ohms, Bev Shade, Peter Sprouse (the cartographer), Terri Sprouse, German Yanez, and Jacinto Vela.

The cave system is now the longest underwater cave system known to man, with a total surveyed length of 308,407 m (=308 km) and a depth of 127.6 m, making it at the same time the second longest cave in the world (See Bob Gulden's list of longest caves in the world).

A complete report can be found in the December 2012 edition of the NSS news.

We are also pleased to report a recent underwater connection between Sistema del Mundo Escondido and Sistema Sac Actun by Alex Reato.

Future information on the exploration can be found on the website from the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey.

Advanced Diver Magazine: Issue 9

Content: Expedition Bacalar  Pipefish  Diamond Knot Wreck  Cuba  Bubble Trouble  Where White Sharks Fly  In Search of Virgins: Yucatan 2001  William Dooley Photography  Jungle Mix II  USS Algol  Armadillo Sidemount  Rhein Wreck  Yonaguni  Hole in the Wall

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Advanced Diver Magazine: Issue 6

Content: Tthe "Pit" - Sistema Dos Ojos  ADM Gas Station Charts  Kauhako Crater  Wreck: Lowrance  Wreck: Resor  Cave Photography (Steven J. Auer)  Expedition Dzonote Maya  Neon Photography  Jurassic Park: Coco Island  ADM featured Photographer  GUE/DIR  Beacon Woods: Cave exploration

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Advanced Diver Magazine: Issue 4

Content: Cis-lunar Rebreather  Wreck: Duane & Bibb  Wes Skiles: Capturing Nature  Bahamian Blue Holes Project  Cave Survey Techniques  K2 Rebreather  Artifact Preservation: Iron  Britisch Cave Diver: John Buxton  Cenotes of the Riviera Maya

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Cave Diving Video: Pet Cemetery Cenote

A new cave diving video from Paco: The Pet Cemetery Cenote (Sac Aktun system)

Lost tribe of Frenchmen discovered living in cave near Puebla, MX

Mexican researchers are baffled by the discovery of a lost tribe of Frenchmen living in an artfully-decorated cave in the foothills of Mt. Popocatépetl in the state of Puebla. The Frenchmen, found by a group of hikers, are believed to be descended from a military patrol that went missing in 1862, during the French occupation of Mexico.

The cave was discovered when the hikers followed the distinct smell of espresso to its entrance. Upon entering, they found the walls painted with scenes of picnics and absinthe drinkers and the floors littered with empty bottles of the hallucinatory liqueur.

Through the process of cabron-dating, which involves reading the label on the bottle, it was confirmed the absinthe was from the Napoleonic Era.

“We had heard legends of Frenchmen being sighted in the area,” said hiker Jay Tencule, “but this is the first time anyone found concrete evidence of their existence.”

According to researchers, the Frenchmen were filmed returning from a hunting party, laden with cartons of Gauloise cigarettes, wine, cheese and flour for making baguettes.

Cave Diving Video: Grande- Bosch Chen traverse (system Sac Aktun)

Cave diving in the Sac Actun sytem

Bones of early American disappear from underwater cave

The Young Man of Chan Hol II skeleton was laid to
 rest 10,000 years ago when sea levels were much lower

One of the first humans to inhabit the Americas has been stolen - and archaeologists want it back.

The skeleton, which is probably at least 10,000 years old, has disappeared from a cenote, or underground water reservoir, in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

In response, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico City has placed "wanted" posters in supermarkets, bakeries and dive shops in and around the nearby town of Tulum. They are also considering legal action to recover the remains.

The missing bones belong to a skeleton dubbed Young Man of Chan Hol II, discovered in 2010. The cenote in which it was found had previously yielded another 10,000-year-old skeleton - the Young Man of Chan Hol, discovered in 2006.

The earlier find has anatomical features suggesting shared heritage with Indonesians and south Asians. Other skeletons found in cenotes in the area with similar features may date to around 14,000 years ago. Such finds imply that not all early Americans came from north Asia. This deals yet another blow to the idea that the Clovis people crossing an ancient land bridge between Siberia and Alaska were the first to colonise the Americas. Clovis culture dates to around 13,000 years ago.

Both skeletons were laid to rest at a time when sea level was much lower than it is today and the cenote, now about 8 metres below the water, was dry. Archaeologists have also found the remains of elephants, giant sloths and other animals in the caves, giving an indication of what the ancient humans ate.

INAH researchers have been aware of creeping theft of specimens from cenotes, but they lack the resources to guard the hundreds of sites that dot the peninsula.

Source: Newscientist

Cave Diving Video: Nohoch Nah Chich 2012

Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich
Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich (from Spanish and Yucatec Maya meaning "Giant Birdcage System") is an extensive water filled cave system connected with the Caribbean Sea via a coastal spring called a variety of names, including Casa Cenote for the restaurant located nearby, but also Cenote Manati, or Cenote Tankah. The explored cave system extends to approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) inland from the coast. It is located 16.5 kilometers (10.3 mi) south of Akumal (Quintana Roo, Mexico).

For more than ten years the system was extensively explored by dedicated cave divers starting from Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich in 1987. Mike Madden of CEDAM Dive Center established the CEDAM Cave Diving Team principally to conduct annual exploration projects to focus on cave exploration, while a number of cave research efforts were logistically supported, with contributions in the fields of karst hydrogeology, water chemistry, microbiology, ecology, and archaeology.

The technique of establishing jungle exploration camps at newly found cenotes and cave entrances was developed and refined during many cave exploration projects, thus allowing cave diving exploration effort to continue more efficiently at the edges of the known cave. The main camp of exploration became Cenote "Far Point Station", located 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) from the coast, and 2.8 kilometers (1.7 mi) further inland than Main Base Camp situated at the main Nohoch Nah Chich Cenote entrance.

During the Nohoch 1997 expedition the 60 kilometers (37 mi) of total explored cave passage mark was surpassed. In early 2007, Nohoch Nah Chich included 36 cenotes and had a recorded length of 67 kilometers (42 mi) when it was connected into and subsumed into the 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) longer Sistema Sac Actun by the Sac Actun Exploration Team (SAET). This portion of the system is now called the "Nohoch Nah Chich Historical section", where with 71.6 meters (235 ft) also the greatest depth of the entire system was reached at "The Blue Abyss".



 If your interested in this and other similar cenotes, I can recommend a nice book covering all cenotes in the area called "The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya" from Steve Gerrard (Available through Amazon by clicking the picture on the left).

Cave Diving Video: Cenote Nai Tucha

Another nice caving video from Slawek Packo. This time from the Cenote Nai Tucha. Enjoy!








 If your interested in this and other similar cenotes, I can recommend a nice book covering all cenotes in the area called "The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya" from Steve Gerrard (Available through Amazon by clicking the picture on the left).

Mexican officials criticized for 'raping' ancient mass burial site

In Mexico this month, a cave was found with the remains of more than 160 people. As Mexico's drug war rages on, the immediate thought was this was a mass grave of people killed by drug dealers. It wasn't. And when officials determined that they swept the remains up in large trash bags and hauled them off without respect for the history they represent.

Earlier this month, the skeletal remains of more than 167 people were discovered in a cave in Chiapas, Mexico.

Initial reports suggested the find may have been a mass grave. It wouldn’t have been the first such discovery in Mexico in the past year. Mass graves have become an increasing common discovery as the country’s drug war rages on.

But the human skeletal remains found in that cave in Frontera Comalapa turned out to be unique. It wasn’t a mass grave, but a pre-Columbian bone deposit.

“This is like the first time that’s happened, at least in my administration here in the state,” said Emiliano Gallaga, director of the Chiapas office of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, known as INAH.

Video: Cave Diving Cenote Outland, Mexico

Another nice cave diving video from Slawek Packo. This time diving cenote Outland, part of Sac Aktun system: into direction Hoyo Negro and then a jump to the right.

 If your interested in this and other similar cenotes, I can recommend a nice book covering all cenotes in the area called "The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya" from Steve Gerrard (Available through Amazon by clicking the picture on the left).

Cenote Calimba Cave Dive Video - Yucatan

Cave diving video of Slawek Packo in Yucatan's Cenote Calimba (Sac Aktun System):

Diving cenote Dos Pisos with Jerzyk, Dima and Kicik - March, 2012

 If your interested in this and other similar cenotes, I can recommend a nice book covering all cenotes in the area called "The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya" from Steve Gerrard (Available through Amazon by clicking the picture on the left).

Remains Found in Mexico Came From Ancient Cemetery

A representative of Mexico's main anthropology agency says the remains of 167 people found in a cave in the country's south were part of a pre-Hispanic cemetery dating back some 1,300 years.

The Chiapas state prosecutor's office said authorities found the remains on Friday on the Nuevo Ojo de Agua ranch in a region where Central American migrants pass through while heading north. Local farmers had first come across the cave last week and had alerted authorities.

Emilio Gallaga of the national anthropology institute says the first test results show the remains come from a still-unspecified pre-Hispanic community dating to the eighth century. He says clay artwork that could have come from a pre-Hispanic group was also found in the cave.

Source: ABC News

Remains of 167 people found in Mexican cave

Mexican authorities have found the remains of 167 people in a southern Mexican cave, and forensic experts believe the remains are at least 50 years old, according to a statement from Chiapas state prosecutors.

The statement released Saturday said the remains were found Friday on the Nuevo Ojo de Agua ranch in an area frequently used by Central American migrants traveling north. The statement said there were no visible signs of violence on the remains, which "break easily."

The statement said authorities will "not discard any line of investigation."

The remains were discovered stacked atop each other in the cave, said a prosecutor's office employee who was not authorized to release information and asked not to be identified. The remains have been moved to the state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez for examination, the employee said.

Mass graves have been found in the past two years mainly in northern Mexico containing the bodies of dozens of migrants and others allegedly killed by drug cartels.

In this photo released by the Chiapas state Attorney General's Office, human skulls and other bones that were found in a cave sit on a table at the Chiapas state attorney general's office in Tuxla Gutierrez, Mexico, Saturday March 10, 2012. Mexican authorities say they've found the remains of as many as 167 people in a southern Mexican cave, and forensic experts believe the remains are at least 50 years old. Photo: Chiapas State Attorney General's Office

Source: Chron