Cueva de la Momia facts for kids

Cueva de la Momia is an amazing archaeological site in Chihuahua, Mexico. It's found in the Sirupa Canyon, near Ciudad Madera. This special place is at the bottom of a tall cliff, next to a stream. It's famous because several mummies were discovered in its caves.

The site is in the beautiful Sierra Tarahumara mountains. This area is home to the Tarahumara or Rarámuri people. Inside one of the caves, a mummified body was found. It was an adult, possibly a woman, incredibly well-preserved. You could even see her skin, hair, nails, and some teeth!

The cave got its name, "Cueva de la Momia" (Mummy Cave), because of these discoveries. Sadly, some parts were damaged by vandals. However, one mummy was saved in great condition. The cave has two levels. The upper level used to be a living area with homes.

Today, the well-preserved mummy is kept in a special museum. This museum is next to the "Real del Bosque" motel in Ciudad Madera. It was built just for this purpose by the motel's owner.

Exploring the Ancient Caves

People have been interested in these caves for a long time. In 1898, a Norwegian explorer named Darl Lumbholtz first wrote about them. He found several sites, including one now called Cuarenta Casas.

Later, many experts studied the region. They focused on the areas around Cuarenta Casas. Some of these researchers include:

• H.A. Carey in 1931
• E.B. Sayles in 1936
• A.V. Kidder in 1939
• R.H. Lister in 1946 and 1958
• Eduardo Contreras in 1959
• Arturo Guevara in 1986
• David Pearson, Fernando Sánchez M., and D. Phillips in 1990

Even with all this work, there's still much to learn about these caves. Scientists are just beginning to explore and study them fully.

The Madera Region: Home to Cave Dwellers

Madera was once a town known for its sawmill, which used wood from nearby forests. But its biggest treasures are the ancient caves. These caves were once homes and shelters for people of the Paquimé culture. They built their houses right inside the caves!

There are many important Paquimé culture sites around Madera. Here are some of the most interesting caves:

Huápoca Caves: Cliffside Homes

The Huápoca caves are about 36 miles west of Madera. You reach them by a dirt road. These caves include "Serpiente" (Snake) and "Nido de Aguila" (Eagle's Nest). They are built on a stunning cliff. You can see complete ancient structures here. The views of the Huápoca Canyon are truly magnificent.

Cueva de la Serpiente: Many Adobe Houses

This cave has 14 adobe houses. These homes are over 1,000 years old!

Nido del Águila: A Home on the Edge

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

Cueva Grande: Hidden by a Waterfall

Cueva Grande is about 66 kilometers west of Madera. It's hidden behind trees and tricky land. A beautiful waterfall covers the cave's entrance. This waterfall flows from the top of the cave down to a stream.

Inside, you'll find two houses with two stories. These homes are 800 years old. They show how clever the ancient people were at building. There's also a round area behind the houses where they stored grain.

Other Important Cave Sites

• La Ranchería: This is a group of caves 50 kilometers south of Madera. It has many ancient remains at the bottom of the Sirupa canyon.
• Cueva del Puente: This cave is 45 kilometers north of Madera.
• Cuarenta Casas: Also known as Cuevas El Garabato, or Cueva de Las Ventanas. This residential complex was built between 1060 and 1205 CE. It was home to people of the Paquimé culture. This complex has many interesting buildings and a large cave, protected by a small waterfall.

New Discoveries: Hidden Homes

In some canyons southwest of Madera, new sites have been found. Ancient communities built homes in these caves and rock shelters. These places are so well hidden that they are still almost untouched today. You can only see them once you are inside!

Cueva de los Fierros: T-Shaped Windows

This cave is in the middle of a canyon slope, on an almost vertical wall. It's about 30 meters wide. It has at least 10 adobe rooms, some with two floors. The rooms were built on a terrace-like foundation. The windows are shaped like a "T," which is a common style for the Paquimé culture.

Many rooms are partly damaged. But the original wooden ceilings are still there. Inside, tools like scrapers, knives, and grinding stones were found. There were also pieces of pottery and many corn cobs. This shows that corn was an important food for these people.

Cueva de la Puerta: Ancient Building Secrets

This cave is a few hundred meters from Cueva de los Fierros. It's also in the middle of the canyon wall and is about 25 meters wide. It has signs of about 12 rooms. Sadly, vandals have damaged some floors and walls.

Here, you can see how ancient houses were built. People used braided rods and branches from local trees. They used trees like tascar (a type of Juniper) and Fraxinus. They shaped adobe walls over these braids. The braids are still well-preserved, with the fibers used to tie them. They used "palmilla" fiber (from a type of agave) and "sawarique" tree branches for fastening.

One room still has its original adobe floor. It's so smooth it looks like cement! The roofs and walls of the rooms are black. This is probably from hundreds of years of smoke and soot from fires. Across the canyon, there's another smaller cave with three well-preserved rooms.

About half a kilometer up, there's a small cave with a single, well-kept house. It has an amazing view of the canyon. This spot was likely used as a lookout point.

The Ancient Cultures of the Region

Mogollon and Paquimé Culture Extension

Long ago, groups of hunter-gatherers came to this region from the north. They were likely from the Mogollon, Anasazi, or Hohokam cultures. They followed the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. These groups used plants and hunted small animals like turkeys. Over time, they settled near rivers and developed the Paquimé culture, also known as "Casas Grandes."

The first people of this culture were collectors who slowly learned to settle down. An interesting fact is that many of these important ancient centers are lined up along the 108-degree longitude line.

Evidence of the Mogollon culture has been found here. This includes simple pottery and some fancier items typical of the Paquimé culture. The people who built these sites were likely villagers. They used the natural environment a lot. They also grew corn, squash, and beans. This means they had a system for sharing resources in their community.

The Casas Grandes culture is a part of the Mogollon culture. It's found in northern Mexico and is part of the larger Oasisamerica area. This area also includes the Anasazi and Hohokam cultures. In Mexico, this northern cultural region is called "Gran Chichimeca." In the United States, it's known as the American Southwest.

The main city and trading center of this culture was Paquimé, located in Chihuahua. The first settlements of this culture date back to 1000 BCE. The culture was at its strongest between 1261 and 1300 CE. It disappeared around 1450 CE.

The challenging environment of this area shaped its people. They changed from wandering hunter-gatherers to settled farmers. They 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. They lived in many different types of environments and climates.

The Mummy Cave: A Closer Look

The Cueva de la Momia is at the foot of a tall cliff. From its entrance, you get a fantastic view. The cave has two levels, both with many ancient remains. On the upper level, there are more than 10 adobe rooms that are very well preserved.

The first level is mostly a rocky shelter. To reach the second level, you use a makeshift ladder. Then, you climb a ramp made of stones. The second level has a wide window with a beautiful view of the canyon. The cave isn't very wide, but it offers excellent shelter. Near the window, at the edge of the cliff, are the remains of an old adobe room. This is where the partly buried mummy was found.

At the entrance of another adobe house, parts of another mummy were found. Sadly, this one was badly damaged by vandals. It still had some remains and the Petate (a woven mat) used to wrap the burial. Years ago, scholars from Ciudad Juárez Autonomous University told INAH about their findings. However, there has not been a response yet.

Rooms and Their Secrets

Both levels of the cave have archaeological remains on both sides. On the top level, there's a group of small houses. These homes were made of mud and grass, built safely inside the cave.

These valuable remains of the Paquimé culture are very important. They are part of the Oasisamerica region. Sadly, they are at risk because people illegally buy ancient artifacts, especially in the United States. It's also a problem that the government hasn't done enough to protect them.

The Mummy: A Glimpse into the Past

The mummified body of an adult was found here. It was surrounded by offerings. These included pottery, stone tools, and corn stems and cobs.

This mummy was found some time ago by treasure hunters. Luckily, they left it on the floor of the room. They were too busy digging greedily at the other end. They destroyed everything else they found, including other mummies. They left only scattered fragments. Beautiful Paquimé-style vases with geometric designs were broken in their search. They also destroyed old campfires and food remains. These would have told us so much about how these ancient people lived.

See also

In Spanish: Cueva de la Momia para niños

• Ciudad Madera, Chihuahua
• Mogollon culture
• Oasisamerica
• Cuarenta Casas
• Cueva de la Olla (archaeological site)
• Cueva de la Ranchería