La Cueva del Mirador

Bronze Age occupations have also been documented in the cave of El Mirador, and radiometric dates of the site exist for the uppermost level (3,040 ± 40 years ago), the base of the sequence (3,400 ± 40 years ago) and for a collective burial (3,670 ± 40 years ago). The sediments indicate the site was repeatedly used during the Middle Bronze Age as a livestock corral. The stratigraphic sequence is primarily a product of the accumulation of animal excrements and straw, and the periodic burning of these residues, at the site of their deposition, leaves a clear layer of ash.

The flock would have been primarily composed of sheep and goats, with swine, cattle and horses making up a smaller percentage of the livestock. These flocks would typically graze in the nearby pastures. Nevertheless, the presence of burned vegetable fibers, most likely straw, in the burnt corral levels, could represent either remains of the beds for the livestock or food for the herds. It’s possible that some of the plant species identified in the analysis of fossilized carbon at the site were brought to the cave to be used as fodder at times when adequate pastures were scarce or when the animals couldn’t leave the cave to graze, or even to feed sick animals or young individuals who were stabled until they reached a certain age. Dogs are also among the domestic species identified at the site, and they could be responsible for the bite marks found on some of the animal bones.

However, raising livestock wasn’t the only economic activity in these communities. The presence of carbonized cereal grains, as well as tiny sharp flint flakes used as teeth for a sickle, indicate agricultural practices whose principal crops were probably cereals. The resources provided by livestock and agriculture were complemented by hunting of wild species such as wild boar, deer and rabbits, and probably by the gathering of plant products as well, both for human consumption as well as feeding the livestock.

Although the areas excavated so far are basically formed from the residues derived from the use of the cave as a corral, this isn’t the only activity documented at El Mirador. The presence of artifacts which can be linked to domestic activities, as well as the fact that many of the animal bones recovered show cutmarks and fractures which can be related to their exploitation as a food resource and with culinary practices, leads us to believe that the living area of the group was very likely in another area of this same cave. The presence of living areas in the same place as livestock corrals or stables is a common practice, documented both archaeologically and ethnographically, in many herding communities and in different time periods up to the present day.

The items of material culture which dominate the collection from El Mirador include various types of pottery, although flint stone tools and a bronze axe with edgework (reborde) have also been recovered. Most of the pottery shows smooth surfaces, with a few examples of polished ceramics. The clay was well chosen and was fired in an environment without oxygen. The degreasing agents are somewhat varied, and they preferred using calcite and quartz and in lower frequencies mica, ground pottery and plant elements.

The ceramic sample from the site is dominated by simple forms of pottery, including bowls, globular pots and very tall vases, while more complex forms are represented exclusively by carenated cups and 'S'-shaped profiles. The majority of the ceramic collection is smooth, although imprinted decorations are also documented, including simple motifs such as horizontal lines or triangles as well as external surface decorations in the form of multiple cords with impressions.

El Mirador was also used at certain moments as a burial site, and a pit with the remains of at least six individuals of both sexes and diverse ages was found in the cave. Some parts of the skeleton were missing from this accumulation, and the remains show evidence of manipulation prior to burial, probably related to some type of funerary ritual. This ritual would have included the defleshing of the bones with a sharp instrument, fracturing of the long bones and a particular treatment of the skulls, which consisted of separating the braincase, that produces what is known in the literature as skull cups (cráneos copa). The date of 3,670 ± 40 years ago obtained by directly dating one of the human bones is older than the level where the pit was found. If these data are correct, this would seem to indicate that it represents a secondary burial of remains removed from an older interment.