The Crypt Reveals More Secrets
From 2023 to 2025, I joined a team of explorers and researchers inside a cave system in Mexico that few had ever heard of—and no one had ever fully mapped. We came to call it “The Crypt of the Megafauna.”
It earned that name quickly.
Over the course of the expedition, we uncovered hundreds of Ice Age fossils: sloths, mammoths, bears, bison. The scale of it was staggering, but at the time, we could only guess how old some of the remains truly were.
Now we know.
Recent carbon dating results have confirmed that the fossils in the cave span more than 15,000 years, with the oldest remains—those of a ground sloth—dating back over 23,000 years. This pushes the story of the cave deep into the Last Glacial Maximum, offering a rare and layered snapshot of the megafauna that once roamed this part of the world.
But that wasn’t the only surprise.
Among the bones, we found a metacarpal with one end shaped in a way that raised eyebrows. It has since been confirmed as a flint-knapping tool—one likely used to shape stone. Combined with bones bearing cut marks, it opens a new line of inquiry: could early humans have entered this cave, used its resources, and left behind signs of their presence?
If so, it’s a powerful addition to the story—not just of the animals that once thrived here, but the humans who may have stood quietly among them.
This month, Mexico News Daily featured our expedition, highlighting the work being done in the cave and even sharing a photo of “Robo-Teddy,” the underwater ROV I piloted to explore the most inaccessible, submerged chambers. Seeing the story begin to reach others is exciting—but there’s still so much more the cave has yet to reveal.
We’re only beginning to understand what this site means—not just for paleontology, but for how we see the Ice Age world of ancient Mexico. And I’m grateful to be one small part of it.
Mexico News Daily: https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/crypt-mexico-megafauna-ice-age-cave/