Cueva de la Momia facts for kids

Cueva de la Momia (which means "Cave of the Mummy") is an amazing archaeological site. You can find it in the Ciudad Madera area, deep in the Sirupa Canyon, in the northwest part of Chihuahua, Mexico. It's located right at the bottom of a really tall cliff, next to a stream called Arroyo del Venado. This stream soon joins the Rio Chico. Close by, in the Huápoca Canyon, there are many caves where ancient mummies were discovered.

This special site is in the Huápoca ravines, part of the Sierra Tarahumara mountains. This area is home to the Tarahumara or Rarámuri people. When the cave entrance was first found, a mummified body of an adult, probably a woman, was discovered right there. It was incredibly well-preserved, showing details like skin, hair, nails, and even some teeth!

The site got its name because people said it held several mummies. This was true, even though some parts were damaged by people looking for treasures. Luckily, one mummy was saved in perfect condition. The cave has two levels, and you can still see ancient remains there. The top level was once a place where people lived. Today, the well-preserved mummy is kept in a special museum next to the "Real del Bosque" motel, just outside Ciudad Madera.

Exploring Ancient Caves in Madera

The first information about the caves in the Madera region came from a Norwegian explorer named Darl Lumbholtz in 1898. He explored the northern Sierra Tarahumara and found several sites, including one called Cueva del Garabato, which we now know as Cuarenta Casas.

After Lumbholtz, many experts like anthropologists and archaeologists explored the area. They mostly focused on the places around Cuarenta Casas. Some of these researchers include H.A. Carey, E.B. Sayles, A.V. Kidder, R.H. Lister, Eduardo Contreras, Arturo Guevara, David Pearson, Fernando Sánchez M., and D. Phillips. Even with all this work, we are still learning a lot about these caves. Serious studies are just beginning!

The Madera Area: Home to Cave Dwellers

Madera was once a place where lumber was cut from nearby forests. But its biggest attractions are the ancient caves in the region. These caves were used as homes and shelters by people of the Paquimé culture. They built their houses right inside the caves!

There are several important archaeological sites from the Paquimé culture in the Madera area. Here are some of the most well-known caves:

Huápoca Caves: Cliffside Homes

The Huápoca caves are about 36 miles west of Madera, reachable by a dirt road. These caves include "Serpiente" (Snake) and "Nido de Aguila" (Eagle's Nest). They are considered some of the most impressive caves, built right into a cliff. You can see complete ancient structures here. The caves also offer amazing views of the Huápoca Canyon.

Cueva de la Serpiente

This cave has 14 adobe houses that are over 1,000 years old.

Nido del águila

This cave has only one house. It was built right on the edge of a steep cliff, under a rocky overhang. This location gives the cave its name, "Eagle's Nest."

Cueva Grande: Hidden Waterfall Homes

Cueva Grande is about 66 kilometers west of Madera, also on a dirt road. This cave is hidden by tricky land and tree branches. The entrance is even partly covered by a waterfall that flows from the top of the cave into a stream! Inside, you'll find two houses that are 800 years old. They have two stories and show how clever the ancient people were at building. There's also a round area behind the houses that was used to store grain.

La Ranchería: A Large Cave Complex

This is a group of caves located 50 kilometers south of Madera. It has a large area of ancient remains at the bottom of the Sirupa canyon.

Cueva del Puente

This cave is located 45 kilometers north of Madera.

Cuarenta Casas: The Forty Houses

Also known as Cuevas El Garabato or Cueva de Las Ventanas, Cuarenta Casas was built between 1060 and 1205 CE. It was a living complex for the people of the Paquimé culture. This complex is in the Garabato Creek and features many interesting buildings and a large cave, protected by a small waterfall.

New Discoveries: Hidden Homes

In one of the canyons near the Rio Papigochi, southwest of Madera, explorers found a group of sites. Ancient communities lived here, building their homes inside caves and under rock shelters. These places are so well hidden that they are still almost untouched today. You can't easily see these caves from the outside; you only know they are there once you are inside!

Cueva de los Fierros

This cave is located halfway up the canyon slope, on an almost vertical wall. It's about 30 meters wide and has at least 10 adobe rooms, some with two floors. The whole complex was built on a terrace-like foundation. The windows are shaped like a "T," which is a common style for the Paquimé culture. Most of the rooms are partly damaged. However, the original wooden roofs are still there. Inside, people found stone tools like scrapers, knives, and grinding stones. They also found pieces of pottery and many corn cobs, showing that corn was an important food.

Cueva de la Puerta

Just a few hundred meters from Cueva de los Fierros, this cave is also found in the middle of the canyon wall. It's about 25 meters wide and shows signs of about 12 rooms. Sadly, some floors and walls were partly damaged by people looking for treasures. You can still see how these ancient houses were built. They used braided rods and branches from local trees, like juniper and ash, to create a frame. Then, they shaped adobe walls over these braids. The braids are still well-preserved, and you can even see the fibers used to tie them. Some ties were made from agave plant fibers, and others from a tree branch called "sawarique." In one room, you can see the original floor, made of adobe. It's so smooth it looks like cement! The roofs and walls of the rooms are black, probably from hundreds of years of smoke and fires. Across the canyon, there's another smaller cave with only three rooms, but they are very well preserved. About half a kilometer up, there's a small cave with a single, well-kept house. It has an excellent view of the canyon and was probably used as a lookout point.

Ancient Cultures of the Region

Mogollon and Paquimé Culture Extension

Groups of hunter-gatherers, likely from the Mogollon, Anasazi, or Hohokam cultures, arrived in this region from the north. They followed the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. These groups used plants and hunted small animals like turkeys. They lived in the mountains and slowly spread out along the rivers. This led to the development of the Paquimé culture, also known as "Casas Grandes." The first people of this culture were gatherers who were learning to settle down in one place. It's interesting to know that all these major ancient centers are lined up along the 108-degree longitude line.

Evidence of the Mogollon culture has been found here, including simple pottery pieces and some more special items typical of the Paquimé culture. The people who built these sites were probably villagers. They used the natural resources around them and also grew corn, squash, and beans. This means they had a system for sharing resources in their community.

There is strong evidence of settlers from the Casas Grandes culture in northern Mexico. This culture is a part of the Mogollon culture, which, along with the Anasazi and Hohokam, makes up the Oasisamerica area. In Mexico, this northern cultural region is called "Gran Chichimeca," and in the United States, it's known as the American Southwest.

Sites of this culture are found in the state of Chihuahua. Paquimé was the main city and trading center of the region. The first settlements of this culture date back to 1000 BCE. It was at its strongest between 1261 and 1300 CE and disappeared around 1450 CE. The challenging environment of this area shaped the unique ways of its people. They changed from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled farmers who grew crops and raised animals. You can find sites of this culture from the Pacific Ocean coast all the way to the Sierra Madre Occidental, in many different environments and climates.

The Mummy Cave Site

The Cueva de la Momia is located at the bottom of a tall, straight cliff. From its entrance, you get an amazing view. The cave has two levels, and you can find many archaeological remains on both. On the upper level, there are more than 10 adobe rooms that are very well preserved. The first level is just a rocky shelter. To reach the second level, you use a simple ladder and then climb a ramp made of stones. This upper room has a wide window that offers a beautiful view of the canyon. The cave isn't very wide, but it provides excellent shelter. Right at the edge of the cliff, next to the window, are the remains of an old adobe room. The partly buried mummy was found on the floor of this room.

At the entrance of another adobe house, there are remains of another mummy. Sadly, this one was badly damaged by people looking for treasures. It still had many remains and tissues, along with the Petate (a woven mat) used to wrap the burial. For a few years, scholars from Ciudad Juárez Autonomous University told INAH (Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History) about their discovery, but so far, there hasn't been an official response.

Rooms in the Cave

On both levels of the cave, you can see archaeological remains. On the top level, there is a group of small houses. These homes were made of mud and grass and were built inside the shelter of the cave. These valuable remains from the Paquimé culture, which is part of the Oasisamerica region, are in serious danger. People who buy old artifacts are very eager to get these pieces, especially in the United States. It's sad to note that the government's lack of attention also contributes to this problem.

The Mummy Found

The mummified body of an adult was found, surrounded by offerings. These included pottery, stone tools, and corn stems and cobs. This mummy was found some time ago by people who were illegally digging for treasures. Fortunately, they left it on the floor of the room while they were busy digging greedily at the other end. They destroyed everything they found, including other mummies, leaving only scattered pieces. Beautiful Paquimé-style vases with geometric designs were broken during their search. They also destroyed signs of ancient campfires and food remains, which could have told us a lot about how the native people lived.

See also

In Spanish: Cueva de la Momia para niños