This story began more than 20 years ago. Between 1978 and 1979, Harry Möller, founder of unknown Mexico, documented from a helicopter the territory of the Quebradas of the state of Durango, one of the most abrupt regions of the Sierra Madre Occidental.
A group of explorers decided not to lose track of this discovery and this was what followed ... Many things surprised Möller; spectacularity, beauty, depth, but above all the mysteries they contained. He located more than 50 archaeological sites of the type caves with houses, located in places that are otherwise inaccessible. Approaching with the helicopter, he could barely reach one of these places, which he attributed to the xixime culture (documented in the unknown Mexico magazine, numbers 46 and 47).
This is how Möller showed me photos of the sites so that I could study them and determine the access modes. When I proposed the most probable routes, we decided to organize an expedition to try it, starting with the Barranca de Bacís, the one that had most intrigued Möller, but it would take ten years for us to have the necessary financing.
Years ago…
Carlos Rangel and a server proposed to unknown Mexico a new attempt to enter Bacís, and explore the surroundings of the Cerro de la Campana. In December, Carlos, together with the UNAM exploration group, made a preliminary entry, in order to probe the terrain. He got as close as he could and made some interesting finds of caves with houses, but they were the first sites, the most accessible, and already showed traces of looting.
Start of the great adventure
I started exploring in the Sierra Tarahumara, in Chihuahua, looking for archaeological sites like caves with houses. In five years I located more than 100, some very spectacular, which contributed new information to the archaeological study of the Paquimé culture (Mexico unknown magazines 222 and 274). These explorations took us further south, until we realized that the Durango sites were a continuation of those of the Tarahumara, although not from the same culture, but one with similar features.
In what is now part of northwestern Mexico and southwestern United States, a cultural region called Oasisamérica (AD 1000) developed. He understood what are now the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, in Mexico; and Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah in the United States. Due to the discoveries we have made, the Quebradas de Durango region can be added to this list as the southern limit. In Chihuahua I met Walther Bishop, a man from Durango who was a light aircraft pilot in the Sierra Madre and he told me that he had seen cave sites with houses, but that he especially remembered the one in Piaxtla.
Reconnaissance flight
Flying over the ravine confirmed the existence of at least half a dozen archaeological sites. Its access seemed impossible. The scenarios overwhelmed us. It was 1,200 vertical meters of pure stone, and in the middle of them the rooms of a forgotten culture. Then we went through the dirt roads of the mountains, looking for the accesses to the Quebrada de Piaxtla. The route to Tayoltita was the entrance and the semi-abandoned community of Miravalles was our exploration base. We located a path that left us almost at the edge of the ravine, in front of the caves with houses. We note the difficulty of reaching them.
All ready!
So we organize an expedition in shape to explore the Quebrada de Piaxtla. On the team were Manuel Casanova and Javier Vargas, from the UNAM Mountaineering and Exploration Organization, Denisse Carpinteiro, an archeology student at the enah, Walther Bishop Jr., José Luis González, Miguel Ángel Flores Díaz, José Carrillo Parra and of course , Walther and me. Dan Koeppel and Steve Casimiro joined us. We received support from the Government of Durango and the Vida para el Bosque foundation.
It all started with a reconnaissance flight. In 15 minutes we reached the Mesa del Tambor, the steepest part of the Quebrada de Piaxtla. It was a vertical and unheard of landscape. We approach the wall and begin to see the caves with houses. I tried to find paths that linked the houses, but apparently there were none. We saw some sites of cave paintings made in inaccessible places. We returned to Tayoltita and began the personnel transfer trips to a small valley in front of the stone wall.
In the heights
Once on land, at the Mesa del Tambor, we began our descent to the bottom. After six hours we reached the San Luis stream, already very close to the bottom of the ravine. This was our base camp.
The next day a small group explored looking for access to the caves with houses. At 6:00 p.m. they returned. They reached the bottom of the canyon, up to the Santa Rita stream, crossed and reached the first of the caves. They climbed to a plateau, following a steep incline. From there, guided by a dangerous ledge, they visited the first site, which, although well preserved, already showed signs of a recent presence. In general, the adobe and stone houses were in good condition. From the camp, with the spyglasses, the pass was impassable. We decided to try the next day.
Second outpost
In the new attempt we add Walther, Dan and I. We were prepared for three days, we knew we would not find water. On a slope with a slope between 45º and 50º we arrive at the plateau reached by the explorers the day before. We find the terraces made by the ancient natives for their crops. We reached the small ledge that our guides thought was the way to get to the other caves. Although the ledge had exposed and dangerous steps, with loose soil, few grabs, thorny plants and a slope of no less than 45º, we calculated to be able to pass it. Soon we came to a cave. We put Cave No. 2. It had no houses, but there were sherds and a terrified floor. Immediately afterwards there was a vertical of about 7 or 8 meters that we rappelled down and then an extremely difficult climb that we had to protect with cable and climb calmly. There was no room for mistakes, any mistakes and we would fall several hundred meters, more than 500.
We arrive at Cave No. 3 which preserves vestiges of at least three rooms and a small barn. The construction is made of adobe and stone. We found ceramic fragments and some corn cobs.
We continued our exposed path along the ledge until we reached Cave No. 4. It contained the remains of about five or six adobe and stone enclosures, better preserved than the previous one. It is surprising to see how the ancient indigenous people built their houses in these places, to make them they had to have a lot of water and there is no evidence of it, the closest source is the Santa Rita stream, several hundred meters vertically down, and go up water from this stream seems like a feat.
After a few hours we reach a point where the wall makes a small turn and we access a kind of circus (geomorphological). As the ledge is a bit wider, a small palm grove was formed. At the end of these is a cavity, No. 5. It contains at least eight enclosures. It seems to be the best preserved and built. We found pieces of pottery, corn cobs, scrapers and other objects. We camped among the palm trees.
The next day…
We continued and arrived at Cave No. 6, with two large enclosures, one circular, and five small very close together that looked like barns. We found the fragment of a molcajete, a metate, corn cobs, sherds and other things. He highlighted a bone fragment, apparently a human skull, which had a hole, as if it were part of a necklace or some amulet.
We continue and arrive at Cave 7, the longest of all, more than 40 meters long by almost 7 deep. It also turned out to be one of the most interesting archaeological sites. There were traces of at least eight or nine enclosures, some very well preserved. There were several barns. All made with adobe and stones. In almost all the rooms the floor was flattened with adobe, and in the largest there was a stove made of that material. There were some small ocher and white cave paintings with very simple designs. To our surprise we found three full pots, of a good size, and two saucers, their style was simple, without ornaments or paintings. There were also sherds, metates, ears of corn, fragments of gourds, ribs and other bones (we do not know if they are human), some long rods of otate, very well worked, one of them more than one and a half meters of possible use for fishing. The presence of the pots clearly indicated that after the indigenous people, we were the next to reach them, so we were in truly virgin and isolated lands.
The questions of 2007
Based on what has been observed, we believe that they are sufficient elements to think that the culture that built these houses was of the same cultural tradition of Oasisamerica, although to affirm it categorically, some dates and other studies would be missing. Of course, these vestiges are not Paquimé, which is why they are possibly from an unknown Oasisamericana culture until now. In reality we are only at the beginning and there is still much to explore and study. We already know of other ravines in Durango where there are such vestiges and they are waiting for us.
After Cave No. 7 it was no longer possible to continue, so we started our return, which took us almost the whole day.
Although tired, we were happy about the findings. We still stayed a few days in the ravine to check other sites, then the helicopter passed us to San José to finally take us to Tayoltita.
Source: Unknown Mexico No. 367 / September 2007
