Tulum, Q.R. — The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has filed a complaint against a group of divers. The complaint was filed after confirmed cave damage by an inexperienced group of tourists.
The incident happened earlier his month when a group of five tourists from Brazil were lead on the cave dive by an unauthorized guide. Local divers Alejandro Álvarez and Adalberto Nava, both members of the Tulum Speleological Project, saw the group enter and leave the preserved site April 9.
The area where they dove is home to preserved skeletons dating back 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. On April 10, Álvarez and Nava dove the preserved site to look for possible damage.
At the Hoyo Negro cave site, they reported finding direct alterations to paleontological remains. After their finding, Álvarez and Nava filed a complaint with the INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia), who in turn, filed a complaint with local authorities.
According to Nava, on April 9th he and Álvarez were doing scientific work for the INAH when they saw the five divers, divided into two groups, entering the area. The group ignored the posted signs prohibiting access since it is a protected archaeological site.
“Alex and I were doing scientific work for INAH when we saw five people walk by. They were two groups who ignored two very large signs indicating that it is a protected archaeological site. I decided to stop my work and check what they were doing,” he recounted.
Nava explained that he documented the incursion from the surface and waited for the divers to surface. According to his testimony, the group demonstrated limited technical skill, causing damage to the seabed sediment, potentially resulting in irreversible losses to the site and many years of research.
“They were divers with very poor skills; they did a lot of damage to sediment that preserved evidence of human remains that entered that cave 10,000 years ago. They destroyed everything,” he said.
He said the following day they descended to assess potential damage which is when they found direct alterations to paleontological remains.
“We found that they moved the skeleton of a puma approximately 15,000 years old. These remains are usually found with the teeth facing upwards, but they turned them over and completely broke the canine teeth.
“They also damaged the skeleton of a bear at least 12,000 years old, a species not previously recorded on the peninsula,” he explained.
“We want to support the INAH’s complaint and for the community to understand that the heritage is being damaged. This is a consequence of tourism entering these sites without due care. The message is to unite to protect what is in these caves.”
Alejandro Álvarez said this problem is not isolated and responds to the growing interest of untrained divers exploring these systems.
“A complicated situation has arisen: these sites contain important cultural and paleontological heritage but they attract divers without the proper training. In the case of Hoyo Negro, the decision was made to close it precisely to prevent damage,” he said.
The person who led the Brazilian group of divers is not a local guide. He has also been named in the complaints.
