A group of scientists participating in the Hoyo Negro (Black Hole) archeological project in southeast Mexico , where the Naia skeleton was found, revealed new information on the young woman that lived 13 thousand years ago . It is considered the most ancient and complete skeleton found in the American continent.
Hoyo Negro, an enormous underground chamber in the Yucatán peninsula that is full of animal remains, was discovered in 2007 .
In 2014, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported the discovery of Naia and its importance, since it backs the theory that early Americans crossed into the continent via the Bering land bridge , as the DNA tests conducted on the young woman seem to indicate.
Now, five years after experts started studying the body’s skull, jaw, pelvis, arms, legs, ribs, and the overall shape of the skeleton, which is said to have fallen to the bottom of the 30 meter pit , scientists have discovered more details on the life of this woman, who dates back to the Pleistocene.
Naia was between 15 and 17 years old, stood around five feet tall, and weighed 110 pounds
. She was very active, though her diet was low in protein, according to James C. Chatters , the project co-director.
A thorough analysis of her sacrum indicated that she had been a mother, though scientists have not been able to determine when exactly she had given birth. The experts also found signs of fractures to her arms, indicating that she “was physically abused at a young age,” stated Chatters.
Naia may have entered the cave in search of water or minerals used by women who had given birth, added the researcher. There are also signs that she was carrying a light-emitting object, which unfortunately didn’t stop her from falling into the hole and fracturing her pelvis, which eventually led to her death.
Around 44 animal remains were found near the human skeleton, including giant sloths , a cougar that could date back to the same time as Naia, an owl, a saber-toothed tiger , some canines, and short-nosed bears.
Some of these species are known to have evolved in South America and then moved up north, according to Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales, who specializes in quaternary mammals .
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