'Cave of Treasures': Well-Preserved Ancient Hunter-Gatherer Weapons Found in Mexico

Archaeologists have found several well-preserved specimens of hunter-gatherer weapons dating back to the first century inside the “Cave of Treasures” in Mexico.

Knewz.com has learned that the items date to between 7 A.D. and 132 A.D., according to experts.

Archaeologists have found several well-preserved specimens of hunter-gatherer weapons dating back to the first century inside the

The 1,900-year-old weapons were discovered by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico back in April 2023, although the discovery has been made public only recently.

Archaeologists Carlos Viramontes Anzures, Jesús Eduardo Medina Villalobos and Ricardo Leonel Cruz Jiménez ventured into the Cueva del Tesoro, or the “Cave of Treasures,” located near the city of Cadereyta, a city about 150 miles northwest of Mexico City in the state of Querétaro.

Notable among the finds are an atlatl (a spear-like dart thrower), two wooden darts and a pair of modified sticks.

One of the wooden darts discovered from the site. By: National Institute of Anthropology and History

The atlatl measured a little more than a foot and a half long, and the darts were between about 2 feet to 2.5 feet long. The modified sticks measured between about 4.5 feet to 5.5 feet long, and according to the archaeologists, they possibly primarily served as digging sticks, although they could have served multiple purposes as well.

The discovered weapons are extremely well-preserved, which the archaeologists have attributed to the dry conditions inside the cave.

According to the team of archaeologists, the discovery of these weapons will significantly contribute to the understanding of the hunter-gather peoples of the semi-desert region of Querétaro and Guanajuato, which are home to more than 260 rock art sites from this period.

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“Three decades ago, what we knew about these groups was based on sources from the 16th century, which gave rise to conceiving them as barbarians,” said archaeologist Viramontes Anzures in an official press release from the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

“It was not until the end of the 50s of the 20th century that the foundations were laid to delve deeper into the subject when Cynthia Irwin-Williams excavated the El Tecolote Cave, in Tequisquiapan, and found materials, including projectile points, dating back to 7,000 BC,” he added.

“In 1989, the INAH Querétaro Center recorded elements, with similar dating, in Mesa de León, a site near the Cueva del Tesoro, where we now recover the atlatl and the darts, pieces that add to this puzzle to understand hunter-gatherer societies, whose presence in the region dates back at least 9,000 years, and who survived two more centuries after the arrival of the Spanish,” Viramontes Anzures further said.

The modified sticks discovered from the site. By: National Institute of Anthropology and History

The items discovered at the “Cave of Treasure” in Mexico have been carefully wrapped in polyethylene fibers, bubble wrap, plastic film and polyethylene foam plates upon instructions from conservator Paula García Reyes, according to the official press release.

The hunter-gatherer weapons have been taken to the National Institute of Anthropology and History Center in Querétaro, where they will be thoroughly analyzed. Experts will also be conducting the “taxonomic identification of the wood,” following which the specimens will be kept on permanent display at the Regional Museum of Querétaro.

The complete progress of the analysis will be announced on January 27 in a lecture series at the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City.