Into the Heart of the World

A team of speleologists travel to the center of the world: this volume gathers the main expeditions of La Venta speleologist association over the course of twenty-five years through stunning images and travel logs. From its first exploration of the Rio La Venta, Chiapas, in Mexico, which gave the association its name, to the Auyan Tepui, in Venezuela, from the glaciers of the Antarctic and Patagonia to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, Palawan, in the Philippines, the Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, in Mexico, and the Cueva de Los Cristales, Naica, Chihuahua, in Mexico. On the threshold of the third millennium talking about “geographical exploration” can sound rather inappropriate, especially in a world where human expansion and satellite communication have put the whole of nature under control. This is not the case. There is a lot yet to discover in the most remote parts of the earth’s surface, and even more below it, where Night Lands, almost undiscovered, still stretch out. Dissemination of the results from such research is the essential goal of each exploration. La Venta focuses its attention mainly on the quality of documentation, from general communication to scientific publication. This strategy has made it possible to write articles in major world journals and to appear several times on TV, both in Italy and abroad. One of the main goals of the research projects carried out by the La Venta team is to strengthen the conservation of the areas where we work and to raise awareness of the people who live and work there.