Archaeologists Try to Unravel the Mystery of the 1,000-Year-Old Terracotta Men of Devil's Cave

An international team of researchers has discovered dozens of terracotta human figurines in Mexico's Devil's Cave in the Sierra Mixe Mountains. Scientists have carefully studied the unbaked clay figurines, which are over a thousand years old. However, there are no definitive conclusions about their origin yet.

The cave, known as the "Devil's Gallery," contains images of people who were supposedly involved in religious rites. The first finds were made here in 2011, but a full-fledged study was only recently possible. According to scientists, the Ayuuk-Jay people lived in this region about a thousand years ago. It is believed that they may have created the underground Devil's Gallery, although there is no documentary evidence of this yet.

Archaeologists studied 72 figures depicting men, women and children in various poses, as well as animals - jaguars, monkeys, reptiles and frogs. All sculptures are distinguished by a high level of detail and mastery of execution.

A small area for a ritual ball game, only 3.8 metres long, was found near the excavation site. Researchers suggest that it had a symbolic meaning.

Scientists were particularly drawn to the use of natural elements in the composition: for example, the sculpture of a jaguar is mounted on a stalagmite. Terracotta figurines made of unbaked clay, probably intended for temporary use, have been remarkably well preserved for over a thousand years.

The purpose of these figures remains a mystery — archaeologists have not encountered such artifacts before. They believe that the process of creating the figurines in the ritual space of the cave was important. Research on the finds from the Devil's Cave continues. The current study is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Earlier, burials of the ancient Xianbei state were found in Mongolia.

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