Archaeologists have found a prehistoric human skeleton deep inside a flooded cave system on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Del Río told The Associated Press this week that the skeleton was found in a flooded cave about 26 feet below the surface after swimming about 656 feet through the cave. Archaeologist recovered the skeleton in late 2025, and it is now being analyzed.
But “with the distance and the depth … it could not have gotten there at any other time than when the cave was dry, at least 8,000 years ago,” he said. Even now, only expert divers with specialized equipment can access and work in those caves. The skeleton was on a dune of sediments in a narrower part of an interior chamber, which “suggests that it was a funereal deposit where the body was placed intentionally, perhaps as part of a ritual practice,” Del Río said. Even after three decades of making such discoveries, Del Río said his pulse quickened. “You can shout even under water,” he said smiling. Del Río said you start picturing the cave, imagining how this person came to be there, thinking about the context. Luis Alberto Martos, director of archaeological studies at the National Institute of Anthropology and History, said the new find will help to understand how these people arrived at Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which then was a plain with cliffs, not jungle and beaches like now, and how they used the caves. DNA data support more and more the idea that some arrived from Asia along a land bridge that today is the Bering Strait, though there are also some clues suggesting another route from South America.The hundreds of miles of underwater rivers and cave systems below the Caribbean coast wasunder former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The government cut down swaths of jungle and drove support columns down into the caves to build the tourist train. Del Río, who was one of that project’s most outspoken critics, said that now Mexican authorities are working to try to designate the entire zone as a national protected area. Mexico’s Environmental Ministry confirmed to the AP that the goal is to achieve that designation in 2026. Ecologists have been trying to protect the delicate caves for years as development and pollution increasingly threaten the underwater waterways. Besides the area’s natural value and importance, Martos said the National Institute of Anthropology and History has argued that it should also be protected on the grounds of cultural heritage. That's because the caves have shown themselves to be “archaeological windows,” also offering up more modern finds like a small cannon and 19th-century rifles, he said. Divers who are passionate about exploring the flooded caves continue to find fossils, researchers said, although archaeologists have not yet been able to begin recovering them. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Get ready for election day in Bexar County- What are the big races happening?Highlights from President Trump's speech at the Port of Corpus ChristiPresident Trump orders 'Hamburgers for all' at a Texas WhataburgerSan Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones censured in historic firstDennis Quaid greets the crowd at President Trump's rally0:56Drone 12 captures video of new multimillion-dollar retail development on Northwest SideWoman brutally attacked by husband who killed daughter, attacked other child gives impact statementWoman brutally attacked by husband who killed daughter, attacked other child gives impact statementMayor Gina Ortiz Jones proposes new commission to increase voter turnout in San Antonio0:13Seguin is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.SThe high for Feb. 26, 2026, was 93 degrees making Thursday the hottest February day since 1996!The high for Feb. 26, 2026, was 93 degrees making Thursday the hottest February day since 1996!State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins plans to attend Feb 26 Judson ISD school board meetingNeighbor, police still haunted by unsolved murder of woman on East SideWhat you need to know before riding on a Waymo in San AntonioNew West Side thrift store supports at-risk shelter animalsHusband of Rep. Tony Gonzales’ former aide says focus is on the facts1:16Grand jury declines charges in deadly ICE shooting of San Antonio man, attorneys demand transparencyGrand jury declines charges in deadly ICE shooting of San Antonio man, attorneys demand transparencyVIA board slams brakes on ‘fare-free’ push out of San Antonio City HallOff-duty sergeant put coach in headlock, fought parents after ejection from youth basketball gameTwo San Antonio sisters with rare heart condition advocate for early heart screeningsJudge suspended, program defended: the growing controversy around Reflejo CourtFamilies leave Judson ISD board meeting in tears after school closures announced
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