In-Depth Notes on Naia and the Hoyo Negro Discovery

Discovery of Naia

Location: Sistema Sac Actun, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Year: 2007
Findings:
- Remains of a 15- to 16-year-old female named "Naia".
- Various extinct animal bones from the Pleistocene.
Site Name: Hoyo Negro ("Black Hole").

Age: Lived approximately 13,000 years ago (radiocarbon dating by Chatters et al. 2014).
Physical Attributes:
- Arms: Not overly developed, indicating light daily activities.
- Legs: Muscular, suggesting capability for long-distance walking.
Health Indicators:
- Poor nutrition indicated by bone and dental health.
- Evidence of a healed spiral fracture on the left forearm.
- Suffered from tooth decay and osteoporosis despite youth and small stature.

Suggested that Naia entered the cave when it was not flooded to find water.
Disorientation may have led to her falling from a ledge causing pelvic trauma (Watson 2017).

Skeleton remarkably complete for its age; skull recovered allows for physical interpretation.
Physical appearance did not match modern Indigenous peoples of the region, yet genetic analysis showed:
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) shares similarities with modern Indigenous populations (Chatters et al. 2014).

Carbon isotopes were recovered from Naia's remains despite challenging burial environment.
Isotope analysis suggested diet consisted of:
- Cool-season grasses and/or broad-leaf vegetation.
Dental findings:
- Numerous dental caries and light dental wear, indicating a softer, sugar-rich diet (Chatters et al. 2022).

Figure 7.29: Diagram depicting Sistema Sac Actun and Hoyo Negro cenote, illustrating the underwater location of Naia's resting place and the structure leading to her remains.