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Latin America remains one of the world’s richest sources of undiscovered archaeological wonders. Just recently in Peru, researchers unearthed a 5,000-year-old mummy in a municipal landfill. Now, a similarly unexpected discovery has surfaced in Mexico: What appeared to be a pile of garbage turned out to be an ancient offering of immense cultural value.
An unexpected find. In September 2023, speleologist Katiya Pavlova and local guide Adrián Beltrán Dimas were exploring the Tlayócoc cave—meaning “Cave of the Badgers” in Nahuatl—in the mountainous region of Guerrero, Mexico. While navigating a narrow passageway with only 6 inches between the ceiling and the water’s surface, the pair encountered fourteen objects carefully arranged around stalagmites.
The scene, sealed in darkness and humidity for centuries, appeared untouched. Far from being a refuse heap, it was one of the most surprising archaeological discoveries in recent Mexican history.
A sacred ritual of fertility. Among the artifacts were four shell bracelets, a large decorated Strombus conch shell, two complete stone discs, six disc fragments, and a charred piece of wood. The bracelets had been placed atop small, rounded stalagmites—possibly chosen for their phallic shape.
According to archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), these objects likely represent the remains of a pre-Hispanic fertility ritual.
“For pre-Hispanic cultures, caves were sacred places associated with the underworld and considered the womb of the Earth,” INAH archaeologist Miguel Pérez Negrete said, reinforcing the theory that this was a site of ceremonial offerings.
Signs of Venus and Quetzalcoatl. Three of the bracelets are engraved with important Mesoamerican symbols. One bears a xonecuilli, an S-shaped figure associated with the planet Venus and used in ancient timekeeping. Another appears to depict Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent and creator god worshipped by several pre-Columbian civilizations.
Based on iconographic and stylistic evidence, archaeologists dated the objects to the Postclassic period (950–1521 CE) and tentatively linked them to the Tlacotepehua civilization, a little-documented group from the mountainous regions of Guerrero. The stable climate inside the cave likely helped preserve the artifacts in near-pristine condition.
A hidden legacy sealed for 500 years. The Tlayócoc cave, located roughly 7,800 feet above sea level, is known locally for its water and bat guano, but had no recent record of deep exploration. That suggests Pavlova and Beltrán may have been the first people to enter this part of the cave in five centuries.
After their discovery, they contacted INAH, which recovered the objects in March 2024. The artifacts are now being studied and preserved as part of the national archaeological collection.
What began as a handful of fragments thought to be trash turned out to be something else entirely: a long-buried legacy of indigenous cosmology, spirituality, and sacred expression—preserved in stone, shell, and symbol for 500 years.
Image | Vladislav Bychkov (Unsplash)
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