Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The General Director of the INAH says the Dama Blanca cave in the municipality of Solidaridad is intact and cordoned off and measurements for its protection are being taken.
The INAH says it is false that it has been “buried”, filled with limestone and covered with vegetation as reported on social networks and in some media. INAH General Director Diego Prieto Hernández said that “INAH archaeologists went to the site Monday and verified that there is no affectation to the natural site.”
In response to the commitment made by the National Institute of Anthropology to offer information on the situation of the cave known as Dama Blanca, which is located on Section 5 south of the Maya Train, the INAH reported that the cave is not filled.
“The affirmations presented by citizen José Urbina in his social networks and taken up by some information media indicating that the Dama Blanca cave has been “buried”, filled with limestone and covered with vegetation, do not correspond to the current situation according to the field observations made May 1, 2023, at the aforementioned site.
“As of today, May 2, the cavern is intact with the mouth of the cave cordoned off due to restrictions for the work and the pertinent measures that the construction company in charge of this section will take to protect and safeguard the site.
“The Dama Blanca cave was recorded during the prospecting work of the Tren Maya Archaeological Salvage Project in February 2022. At that time, ancient residential monuments were also located in its surroundings and therefore, the cavern is part of the residential context.
“Subsequently, in April 2022, activities were suspended due to legal protection and, over three months, the growth of the vegetation was notorious.
“Once work activities resumed, the INAH Underwater Archeology team surveyed the cavern where two ancient levelings, an architectural element, a ceramic concentration, and carbon remains were identified.
“In this way, the map of the cavern that develops in a northwesterly direction was recorded, starting from the middle section of the right-of-way line, this is about 20 meters towards the land side, with an approximate extension of 600 meters to where it was arrived,” they reported.
The Federal Ministry of Culture and the INAH say they attend to the care, registration, conservation and study of the archaeological, anthropological, historical and paleontological heritage of the entire country and, in particular, of that which is linked to the works of the Maya Train project.
