I teamed up with professional cave diver and researcher Jeronimo Aviles who works at the Instituto De La Prehistoria De America. Jeronimo took me cave diving to an area laden with prehistoric bones and showed me what it would be like to uncover a prehistoric human.

Jeronimo shared how climate change has wiped humans off the planet multiple times and our current human species is under the same serious threat of going extinct due to climate change. In terms of water, the prehistoric people journey into these caves in search of water. At that time there were dry caves and offer shelter and water.

Jeronimo has extracted 8 of the 9 prehistoric humans found in the Cenotes including Señora De Las Palmas a woman dating back to over 10,000 years ago, deemed to be the oldest women in the Americas alongside Naia, another prehistoric women excavated by National Geographic with the help of the other cave diver I met with Sam Meacham in 2007.

Jeromino showed me his lab and allowed me to hold the replica of Señora De Las Palmas and study her prehistoric ear bone.

Looking around Jeronimo’s lab, here are the things you would find:

Mujer De Las Palmas or Lady of the Palms

Prehistoric Whale tooth from millions of years ago

Fingernails of a giant prehistoric sloth

Saber-toothed cat

Jeronimo loves to collect road kill or random species

Prehistoric pigs

Very grateful to Jeronimo and the entire team for taking me back in time and putting into perspective how easily us humans can go extinct due to climate change.

Thank you to Maya Eco Resort for hosting us to share the importance of protecting our world waters!

THANK YOU TO MY SPONSORS FOR THIS ADVENTURE!

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Produced, directed, edited and hosted by Alison Teal

Cinematography by Mark Tipple

Photography by Sarah Lee