Guitarrero Cave is located in the
Callejón de Huaylas
The Santa Valley (Quechua language, Quechua ''Sancta'') is an inter-andean valley in the Ancash Region in the north-central highlands of Peru. Due to its location between two mountain ranges, it is known as Callejón de Huaylas, the Alley of Huayla ...
valley in
Yungay Province
The Yungay Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.
Geography
The Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra traverse the province. Waskaran, the highest elevation of Peru, lies on the border to the Carhuaz Province. C ...
, in the
Ancash region
Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...
of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
. The cave stands above
the Santa River and meters above sea level.
[Weber, George]
"Guitarrero cave (Ancash, Peru)."
''Possible Relatives in the Americas.'' 11 July 2007 (retrieved 23 Feb 2010)
Archeological findings
Guitarrero Cave has evidence of human use around 8,000 BCE and possibly as early as 10,560 BCE.
A human's mandible and teeth found in the cave have been
carbon dated
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
The method was dev ...
to 10,610 BCE.
[
Above all that, there were a series of Archaic period campfires, dated between 8,500 and 7,000 BCE.][ Wood, bone, antler and fiber cordage were among the artifacts that were recovered from the level, as well as willow leaf, tanged, ]lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, and concave base Ichuna/Arcata projectile points. A single grinding slab and a bone flesher were also recovered from this part of the area.[
Levels were included in the Early and Middle Horizon occupations, ]cist
A cist ( or ; also kist ;
from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East ...
tombs, and wall paintings between about the 1000 BCE to 1000 CE.
In the 1960s, archeologists discovered artifacts in an extraordinary state of preservation at the site. Remarkably, textiles, wood and leather tools, and basketry have been preserved intact. Some of the evidence of early domesticated beans Phaseolus
''Phaseolus'' (bean, wild bean) is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica.
It is one of the most economically importan ...
, chili, corn and other cultivars have been argued for Guitarrero.[
Fiberwork found in the cave dates back over ten-thousand years – the earliest found in South America. The cave held utilitarian containers made by twisting, looping, and knotting plant fibers.
The people of Guitarrero Cave are possible ancestors of the Chavín culture.][
]
Cultigens
Some of the earliest cultivated plants in South America have been found in the cave. They include:
* Ají pepper
''Capsicum baccatum'' is a member of the genus ''Capsicum'', and is one of the five domesticated chili pepper species. The fruit tends to be very pungent, and registers 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit scale.
Chili pepper varieties in ...
(''Capsicum baccatum
''Capsicum baccatum'' is a member of the genus ''Capsicum'', and is one of the five domesticated chili pepper species. The fruit tends to be very pungent, and registers 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit scale.
Chili pepper varieties in ...
''): first appears at Guitarrero cave in 8,500 BCE
* Oca
OCA or Oca may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions
* The ancient town and bishopric Oca in Asia Minor (present Asia Turkey), now a Latin Catholic titular see
* The former Spanish Oca, modern Villafranca Montes de Oca, also see of a medieval bis ...
(''Oxalis tuberosa
''Oxalis tuberosa'' is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, oca in Spanish, yam in New Zealand and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cult ...
''): first appears 8,500–7,500 BCE
* Aji (''Capsicum chinense
''Capsicum chinense'', commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. ''C. chinense'' varieties are well known for their unique flavors and many have exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in the ...
''): first appears 8,000–7,500 BCE
* Common bean
''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green bean, green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a Leaf vegetable, vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its Pla ...
(''Phaseolus vulgaris
''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, alo ...
''): first appears 8,000–7,500 BCE
* Pallar bean
''Phaseolus coccineus'', known as runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean, is a plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. Another common name is butter bean, which, however, can also refer to the lima bean, a different species.
It is ...
(''Phaseolus lunatus
A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as the butter bean, sieva bean, double bean, Madagascar bean, or wax bean is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.
Origin and uses
''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and Sou ...
''): first appears 8,000–7,500 BCE
* Lúcuma (''Lucuma bifera
''Pouteria lucuma'' is a species of tree in the family Sapotaceae, cultivated for its fruit, the lúcuma. It is native to the Andean valleys of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
Description
This evergreen tree is up to 20 m tall, and has greyi ...
''): first appears 8,000–5,500 BCE
* Ulluku (''Ullucus tuberosus
''Ullucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Basellaceae, with one species, ''Ullucus tuberosus'', a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. The name ''ulluco'' is derived from the Quechua word , ...
''): first appears 6,000 BCE at the cave :es:Tres Ventanas in Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
,[ENGEL, F. 1970. La grotte du Megatherium et les ecologies du Haut-Pliocene peruvien. Semiotica, 1, 413-436.] and next at Guitarrero cave 5,500 BCE.
* Zapallo
Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, t ...
(''Cucurbita
''Cucurbita'' (Latin for gourd) is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae (also known as ''cucurbits'' or ''cucurbi''), native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and ...
sp.''): first appears 7,000 BCE
* Maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
or corn (''Zea mays
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
''): possibly first traces but not conclusively identified from 6,200 BCE. Maize has been identified in the Ayacucho Region
Ayacucho () is a department and region of Peru, located in the south-central Andes of the country. Its capital is the city of Ayacucho. The region was one of the hardest hit in the 1980s during the guerrilla war waged by Shining Path known as ...
of south central Peru as early as 4,400 and 3,100 BCE.[
]
See also
* Andean preceramic
The Andean preceramic refers to the early period of human occupation in the Andean area of South America that preceded the introduction of ceramics. This period is also called pre-ceramic or aceramic.
Earliest human occupations
The earliest huma ...
Notes
References
* Stone-Miller, Rebecca. ''Art of the Andes: from Chavín to Inca''. London: Thames and Hudson, 2002. .
{{Authority control
Archaic period in the Americas
Archaeological sites in Peru
Caves of Peru
Archaeological sites in Ancash Region
Landforms of Ancash Region
Andean preceramic