Hoyo Negro Cenote

Hoyo Negro ("Black Hole") is a submerged cenote within the Sac Actun cave system near Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Discovered in 2007 by divers, it contained the skeleton of "Naia," a 15-16-year-old Paleoamerican girl dated to approximately 12,900 years ago, making her one of the oldest and most complete human skeletons found in the Americas. DNA analysis revealed she carried Haplogroup D1, linking Paleoamericans to Beringian ancestry and modern Native Americans. The pit also preserved remains of 26 extinct Pleistocene mammals, including saber-toothed cats and gomphotheres.