The archaeologist, Sergio Grosjean, announced the discovery of 137 prints, in red and black, in a cave in the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Grosjean said that the children would made the wall prints as part of a coming-of-age ceremony.

The date when the prints were made corresponds to the waning days of the Mayan settlements in Central America. Scientists also found in the cave carvings and sculptures from the same time period, 800–1000.

The cave is 33 feet below a large ceiba, a sacred Maya tree.