Among the many enterprises of his life it is sufficient to recall here the first archaeological excavation in a cave of Rio La Venta (Cueva de la Media Luna, 1966) and the second descent ever conducted of the canyon Sumidero, madly realized in 1962. With such previous history, Thomas was inevitably the referent of our association when in 1997, after the first complete descent of the Rio La Venta, we decided to start some archaeological research in the canyon from which we have named. Since then, for over 15 years we have worked together in the longest and most complex of our projects. Apart from the good results obtained, what we will never forget is the quiet smile of the great Thomas, always ready to share generously his knowledge, while crowds of cavers and archaeologists occupied for months, cheerful and noisy, his beautiful home in San Cristobal. The mountains of ropes, bags and other material accumulated in the great hall, below a gallery that housed one of the largest and most beautiful libraries of Chiapas, are a perfect image of the link between knowledge and spirit of adventure which was the way of the long and intense life of Thomas. We, who have had the fortune to share a sudden, we'll be always proud of this.
Thomas was hit by an illness while walking in Palenque, surrounded by beautiful ruins and lush forest of Chiapas; his ashes were scattered in the canyon of the Rio La Venta. We can not imagine an exit more suitable for our great and unforgettable friend. Davide Domenici