Talgua caves
The site has gained the interest of archaeologists studying cave burials of Central America and of Mesoamerica as one of the most extensive Early to Middle Pre-Classic (~1000-900 BC in this case) ossuary cave sites currently known to have been in contact with the Maya societies of nearby Mesoamerica.
Two United States Peace Corps volunteers, Greg Cabe and Tim Berg and three Hondurans, Jorge Yáñez and Desiderio Reyes, and Mariano Rodriguez[1] were exploring the cave on the east bank of the Talgua River, about six kilometres from the city of Catacamas, when they first saw human skeletal remains about 600 metres inside the cave.
After the initial discovery of the remains, James Brady, professor of anthropology at California State University, Los Angeles[1] and George Hasemann, head of the archaeology section of Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH) in Tegucigalpa began investigating the historical implications of the site related to the inhabitants of this region and ancient northeastern Honduras cave burials.
During the initial investigation following the discovery of the main ossuary chamber within the cave, another tunnel containing three passageways was found.
[2] The pigment was also splattered on the ground and walls surrounding the cave, which appears to be due to its rapid and liberal application.
Natural deterioration due to dripping and damage from vandalism had affected greatly those burials found on ledges and above the water level.
A Spanish missionary named Father Fernando Espino described the Olancho Valley to be an area containing “more than two-hundred different nations and languages” in 1674.
"[2] A surprising find relating to analysis of the bone protein stable isotopes is that the people buried in the cave did not eat an abundance of maize, the cultivation of which is normally seen as corresponding to advancements in social complexity and stratification within Pre-Columbian societies of Mesoamerica and surrounding areas.
Along an ancient terrace on the west bank of the Rio Talgua, within a kilometre of the cave entrance, a settlement has been unearthed that has since been determined to be the largest site in the country of Honduras from the period.
[4] Architectural patterns and objects found at the Talgua settlement provide indicators of both social stratification and trade networks with the Maya.
Jade and marble vessels found at the site are seen as items of prestige and clues to the degree of social stratification.
The Cuyamel ceramics found in northeastern Honduras are contemporaneous with the Olmec rise in the Middle Pre-classic period.
A well developed and secure walking trail has been constructed of cement and iron from the road up to the cave entrance.
The true ossuary entrance lies some hundreds of yards - roughly double the distance into the cave that visitors are allowed to enter- beyond the barred door.
Deep within the cave hundreds of crawl holes, many of which are impassable in wet season, were possible to explore in the days before The Door.
