Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca

This site provides archaeological and rock-art evidence for the progress of nomadic hunter-gatherers to incipient farmers

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

This postcard was sent by Marco

The Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the central valley of Oaxaca is an extensive cultural landscape that includes caves and shelters, one of which, the Guilá Naquitz cave has provided extraordinarily well preserved botanical evidence of bottle gourds, beans and squash and the earliest known maize cobs, and two others, Cueva Blanca and Gheo Shih siteshave provided evidence of Pleistocene animals and stone tools and the seasonal use of the abundant summer resources of fruit and small mammals.

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

This postcard was sent by Marco

The gradual shift from social groups based primarily on hunting to ones that were primarily based on settled agriculture took place in multiple areas at the same time across the Mesoamerican region. The property is an exceptional reflection of the evolution from hunter-gathering to more settled communities in this area of the Oaxaca valley. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1352