A prehistoric human skeleton has been discovered deep within a submerged cave system off Mexico's Caribbean coast, an area that has been underwater since the end of the last ice age around 8,000 years ago. The find marks the eleventh such skeleton recovered from the region's caves in the past three decades, according to cave-diving archaeologist Octavio del Río.
Working with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, del Río said the skeleton was located about eight metres below the surface, approximately 200 metres into the flooded cave network near Tulum. The remains were recovered in late 2025 and are now undergoing analysis. Del Río noted that the skeleton's position on a sediment dune in a narrow chamber suggests it was intentionally placed, possibly as part of a funeral ritual.
Luis Alberto Martos, director of archaeological studies at the institute, said the discovery will help researchers understand how early people arrived on the Yucatán Peninsula, which was then a plain with cliffs rather than the jungle and beaches seen today. DNA evidence increasingly supports migration from Asia via the Bering Strait land bridge, though some clues point to a route from South America.
The underwater cave system has faced threats from development, including the Maya Train project under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Del Río, a vocal critic of the project, said Mexican authorities are now working to designate the entire zone as a national protected area. Mexico's Environmental Ministry confirmed that the goal is to achieve this designation in 2026.
