A diver from Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuifero de Q Roo (CINDAQ A.C.) examines an ochre extraction pit in the mine found in a cave that is now underwater in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, in this undated picture obtained by Reuters on July 2, 2020. CINDAQ.ORG/Handout via REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers diving into dark submerged caves on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula have found evidence of an ambitious mining operation starting 12,000 years ago and lasting two millennia for red ochre, an earth mineral pigment prized by prehistoric peoples.
More than 100 dives totaling more than 600 hours in Quintana Roo state turned up numerous mining artifacts, the scientists said on Friday. These included ochre extraction pits, digging tools like hammerstones and small piledrivers made of stalagmites, markers that helped the miners navigate the extensive cave network and hearths used to provide light. The caves were not underwater at the time of the mining.
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