Cave explorer in Mexico finds 'trash' that turns out to be ancient artifacts

When a cave explorer stumbled across what she thought was trash, she couldn’t believe it when she realised what she’d discovered.

In a cave high in the mountains of Mexico, speleologist Katiya Pavlova discovered that the "trash" was actually a collection of exciting artefacts that were likely used in fertility rituals many centuries ago.

"I looked in, and it seemed like the cave continued. You had to hold your breath and dive a little to get through. That's when we discovered the two rings around the stalagmites," Pavlova said in a statement.

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The cave where these items were discovered is called Tlayócoc, which means “Cave of Badgers” in the Indigenous Nahutl language. Located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and about 7,800 feet (2,380 meters) above sea level, Tlayócoc is known locally as a source of water and bat guano.

Pavlova and local guide Adrián Beltrán Dimas explored the cave in September 2023, which could have been the first time anyone had entered it in around 500 years.

But the cave became difficult to explore when at roughly 500 feet (150 m) into it, the ceiling dipped down. From there, the pair had to navigate with a gap of just 6 inches (15 centimeters) between the water and the ceiling, leaving them a very small amount of room to breathe.

Pavlova explained, "Adrián was scared, but the water was deep enough, and I went through first to show him it wasn't that difficult.”

However, the fear and trepidation were worth it in the end, as Pavlova and Beltrán ended up discovering 14 valuable artifacts in the cave.

"It was very exciting and incredible! We were lucky here," she says.

These items included four shell bracelets, a giant decorated snail shell (genus Strombus), two complete stone disks and six disk fragments, and a piece of carbonized wood.

The pair then contacted Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which sent archaeologists to recover the artifacts in March.

The archaeologists examined the findings and revealed something even more interesting about them. They said because of the arrangement of the bracelets, which had been looped over small, rounded stalagmites with "phallic connotations", it was likely that this was part of ancient fertility rituals performed in Tlayócoc cave.

In a statement, INAH archaeologist Miguel Pérez Negrete said, "For pre-Hispanic cultures, caves were sacred places associated with the underworld and considered the womb of the Earth."

Incised decorations were found on three of the bracelets, including an S-shaped symbol known as "xonecuilli” - associated with the planet Venus and the measurement of time. Another design that features the profile of a human-like figure could represent the creator god Quetzalcoatl.

Pérez explained, "It's very likely that, because they were found in a close environment where humidity is fairly stable, the objects were able to survive for so many centuries.”

The archaeologist dated the artifacts to the Postclassic period of Mesoamerican history, between A.D. 950 and 1521, and said could have been made by members of the local and little-known Tlacotepehua culture.