From the research institute that made the discovery: https://www.cindaq.org/copy-of-sagitario-la-mina https://www.cindaq.org/copy-of-sagitario-la-mina WHY IT’S

From the research institute that made the discovery: https://www.cindaq.org/copy-of-sagitario-la-mina https://www.cindaq.org/copy-of-sagitario-la-mina WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: * The discovery has the potential to help us understand the social and behavioral complexities of the region’s earliest inhabitants. * This new research shows ochre was of great, if not critical, importance to the culture and lives of Paleoamericans, given they were willing to take such enormous risks to get it. Red ochre is the most commonly identified inorganic paint, used throughout human history. It’s considered to be a key component of human evolutionary development and behavioral complexity. Ochre minerals were collected for use in rock paintings, mortuary practices, painted objects and personal adornment. They may even have had medicinal qualities. * The mining activity from more than 10,000 years ago also shows the early application of geological principles that were only documented 400 years ago. * Together with the exploration of Hoyo Negro, where the remains of Naia were found, the exploration of these caves is advancing research techniques, especially using 3D photogrammetry and virtual reality. * The abundance and diversity of animal and plant remains found in these submerged caves enables scientists to recreate what the environment was like for Ice Age Americans.