Octavio Del Rio
Joined Atlas Obscura in 2026
I am an underwater archaeologist who has led research teams in a pioneering project focused on the systematic and scientific exploration of the Yucatán Peninsula’s flooded caves and cenotes. Our expeditions have documented some of the oldest human remains known from the Americas, Ice Age megafauna, and ancient Maya contexts. Among our most significant discoveries is Eva of Naharon, a human skeleton dating to approximately 13,700 years ago, found in a submerged cave near Tulum. My research has also extended to Banco Chinchorro, where we have documented dozens of shipwreck contexts spanning centuries of Caribbean navigation. This work brings together exploration, science, technology, and the search for evidence of the first inhabitants of the Americas, transforming places few people can reach into knowledge that can be shared with the world.
