Archaeologists in Mexico have found some of the oldest mines in the Americas and 13,000-year-old human remains, after exploring an underwater area in the Yucatan peninsula. In a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, the scientists told of finding ocher mines in underwater caves. The underwater caves near Tulum in Mexico hold the oldest mines ever found in the AmericasThe caves, near the resort of Tulum, were flooded about 8,000 years ago due to rising sea levels. The evidence suggested humans went into the caves around 10,000 to 13,000 years ago, seeking iron-rich red ocher, which early peoples in the Americas prized for decoration and rituals. Red ocher mining 'seems especially important during the first period of human colonization... you find it on tools, floors, hunt sites,' Pelton said.

Source: Daily Mail July 05, 2020 15:27 UTC