Suzana Rahman
The Gran Acuifero Maya project discovered 347km-long cave which can shed light on Mayan history. Near the beach resort of Tulum, the group found that the cave system known as Sac Actun, once measured at 263 km, connected with the 83km Dos Ojos system, the project said in a statement. Sac Actun now absorbs Dos Ojos. Guillermo de Anda, director and underwater archaeologist on the Gran Acuifero Maya team, said the “amazing” find would help to understand the development of the rich culture of the region, which was dominated by the Maya civilization before the Spanish conquest. He said, “It allows us to appreciate much more clearly how the rituals, the pilgrimage sites and ultimately the great pre-Hispanic settlements that we know emerged.” The Yucatan peninsula is studded with monumental relics of the Maya people, whose cities drew upon an extensive network of sinkholes linked to subterranean waters known as cenotes. Some cenotes acquired particular religious significance to the Maya, whose descendants continue to inhabit the region.
Source: The Guardian