Hoyo Negro: The Formation and Transformation of a Submerged Late Pleistocene Cave Site in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Summary

Exploration of the submerged cave systems of Quintana Roo, Mexico, has afforded researchers access to uniquely preserved Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits that can reveal a wealth of information about the human ecology of the Yucatan Peninsula at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. The interdisciplinary Hoyo Negro Project aims to identify and reconstruct the processes that have formed and transformed the site over millennia. In addition to ongoing studies of the human skeleton from Hoyo Negro and the diverse assemblage of Pleistocene fauna and botanical remains, researchers have analyzed a range of proxies that provide insights into varied depositional contexts and changing paleoenvironmental conditions. Although deep anchialine caves can prove optimal for preservation and overall integrity of faunal, botanical, and geological deposits, radiometric dating challenges are inherent and are addressed by ongoing research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Contribution of Drowned Landscapes to Understanding Past Peoples   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 852