Guitarrero Cave

The Callejón de Huaylas valley in Yungay Province, Peru's Ancash region, is home to the Guitarrero Cave. Guitarrero Cave is one of the Most Mesmerizing Caves in Peru. The cave is 50 meters (160 feet) above sea level and 2,580 meters (8,460 feet) above the Santa River. Humans may have been present in Guitarrero Cave as early as 8,000 BCE, and potentially as early as 10,560 BCE. The mandible and teeth of a person recovered in the cave were carbon dated to 10,610 BCE.

A sequence of Archaic period campfires, dated between 8,500 and 7,000 BCE, were also discovered. Artifacts recovered from the level included willow leaf, tanged, lanceolate, and concave base Ichuna/Arcata projectile points, as well as wood, bone, antler, and fiber cordage.

Between about 1000 BCE and 1000 CE, levels were found in Early and Middle Horizon settlements, cist burials, and wall paintings.

Archeologists uncovered objects in an exceptional condition of preservation at the site in the 1960s. Textiles, wood and leather tools, and basketry have all been miraculously preserved. Guitarrero has been supported by evidence of early domesticated beans Phaseolus, chile, corn, and other cultivars.

The cave's fiberwork is the oldest in South America, dating back over ten thousand years. Plant fibers were twisted, looped, and knotted into utilitarian containers in the cave. The inhabitants of Guitarrero Cave may have been Chavn ancestors.

Location: Yungay Province, Ancash Region, Peru