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Sandia Cave, also called the Sandia Man Cave, is an
The Sandia Cave is located on a steep side wall of Las Huertas Canyon, on the north side of the
USFS website for Sandia Man CaveVideo of two spelunkers exploring Sandia Man Cave
{{Authority control National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico Landforms of Sandoval County, New Mexico Archaeological sites in New Mexico Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Caves of New Mexico Show caves in the United States Limestone caves National Register of Historic Places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Cibola National Forest
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
near Bernalillo, New Mexico
Bernalillo () is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the town population was 8,320. It is the county seat of Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval ...
, within Cibola National Forest
The Cibola National Forest (pronounced SEE-bo-lah) is a 1,633,783 acre (6,611.7 km2) United States National Forest in New Mexico, USA. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name was ...
. First discovered and excavated in the 1930s, the site exhibits evidence of human use from 9,000 to 11,000 years ago. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1961. The site is open to the public, up a difficult half-mile trail off New Mexico State Road 165.
Description
The Sandia Cave is located on a steep side wall of Las Huertas Canyon, on the north side of the Sandia Mountains
The Sandia Mountains (Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; Towa: ''Kiutawe'', Zuni: ''Chibiya Yalanne'') are a mountain range located in ...
northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. The public trailhead to access the cave is on the east side of NM165. The site is rather difficult to reach, as it is requires traversing ledges and a steep metal staircase.
According to a 2006 report, the cave appears to be in satisfactory condition, since it has been thoroughly excavated, there are no portable artifacts, walls, or fragile components that need to be protected.
History
The cave was discovered in 1936. Archaeologists argued about claims associated with this site for decades, making it difficult to determine its importance. The site was excavated in the 1930s and 1940s by Frank Hibben while at theUniversity of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
.Hibben, F. C. 1941. Evidences of early occupation in Sandia Cave, New Mexico, and other sites in the Sandia-Manzano region. With appendix on correlation of the deposits of Sandia Cave, New Mexico, with the glacial chronology. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 99(23).
Both Folsom Folsom may refer to:
People
* Folsom (surname)
Places in the United States
* Folsom, Perry County, Alabama
* Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama
* Folsom, California
* Folsom, Georgia
* Folsom, Louisiana
* Folsom, Missouri
* Folsom, New Jerse ...
and Sandia hunting points were recovered, with the hitherto unknown Sandia points interpreted by Hibben as being much older than any other evidence of man in North America. Faunal remains included extinct, Pleistocene mammals. Later study of stratigraphy and radiometric dates corrected serious earlier misinterpretations, leaving "Sandia Man" as definitely younger than earlier claimed.
Faunal remains recovered by Hibben and others include such extinct forms as mammoth, mastodon, sloth, horses, and camels, as well as many mammal and bird species that survived the end of the Pleistocene, making this one of the most important Pleistocene paleontological sites in northern New Mexico.
See also
*List of National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico
This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico. New Mexico has 46 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), including Raton Pass which is shared with Colorado, and listed by the National Park Service as in that state.
Current NH ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Sandoval County, New Mexico
References
External links
USFS website for Sandia Man Cave
{{Authority control National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico Landforms of Sandoval County, New Mexico Archaeological sites in New Mexico Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Caves of New Mexico Show caves in the United States Limestone caves National Register of Historic Places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Cibola National Forest