El Abra
Encyclopedia
El Abra is an archaeological excavation site, located in the valley of the same name, east of the city of Zipaquirá
, department Cundinamarca
, Colombia
; in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense
, at an altitude of 2,570 m. This cave
system is one of the first Human settlements in America
, used by the Homo sapiens inhabitants of the late pleistocene
epoch.
instruments, bone
s and vegetal charcoal
with radiocarbon dating
established the date of the settlement in 12,400 BCE ± 160 years.
collaborated in a deeper research. In 1970 the Netherlands
Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (NWO-WOTRO) discovered four new Pre-pottery sites and the analysis of lake sediments allowed a more accurate understanding of the original weather and flora.
ecosystem, and stone tools.
and the settlement of many animal species, making hunting
easier. Articles of this period are abrienses: flint (tool)s, and chopper core
s. While the weather was more benign, the cave system was gradually abandoned.
town, dated 11,400 years BCE, shows lithic instruments, Bone instruments and remains of Pleistocenic fauna, such as mastodon
s (Haplomastodon and Cuvieronius
hyodon), American horse
(Equus amerhipuus lasallei), and deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with traces of ritual ceremonies.
in Soacha
shows lithic instruments (tequendamenses tools) with a more smooth manufacture, many of them made with materials brought to this place from the Magdalena river
valley, such as Quartzite
.
s and vegetable
s consumed, and low amounts of large animals hunting. The Abra caves were abandoned gradually.
Zipaquirá
Zipaquirá is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemocón, Gachancipá and Sopó to the east; Cajicá and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west. Its seat of municipal government is 49...
, department Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
; in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca...
, at an altitude of 2,570 m. This cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
system is one of the first Human settlements in America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, used by the Homo sapiens inhabitants of the late pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch.
Stratigraphy
The first research in the place was developed in 1967, and the stratigraphy of lithicLithic Technology
In archeology, lithic technology refers to a broad array of techniques and styles to produce usable tools from various types of stone. The earliest stone tools were recovered from modern Ethiopia and were dated to between two-million and three-million years old...
instruments, bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s and vegetal charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
with radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
established the date of the settlement in 12,400 BCE ± 160 years.
Archaeological Research
In 1960, the Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
collaborated in a deeper research. In 1970 the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (NWO-WOTRO) discovered four new Pre-pottery sites and the analysis of lake sediments allowed a more accurate understanding of the original weather and flora.
Fúquene stadial
From 15,000 BCE to 12,500 BCE. It is characterized by a cold weather, flora typical of PáramoPáramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
ecosystem, and stone tools.
Guantiva interstadial
About 12,500 years ago, a gradual rise of temperature allowed the growing of Andean cloud forestCloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
and the settlement of many animal species, making hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
easier. Articles of this period are abrienses: flint (tool)s, and chopper core
Chopper core
In archaeology a chopper core is a suggested type of stone tool created by using a lithic core as a chopper following the removal of flakes from that core...
s. While the weather was more benign, the cave system was gradually abandoned.
Tibitó stadial
The excavations of this period, near TocancipáTocancipá
Tocancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. The race track is located in the surroundings of the town, here they make vintage auto races as well as gt races....
town, dated 11,400 years BCE, shows lithic instruments, Bone instruments and remains of Pleistocenic fauna, such as mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
s (Haplomastodon and Cuvieronius
Cuvieronius
Cuvieronius is an extinct New World genus of gomphothere. It is named after the French naturalist Georges Cuvier, stood 2.7 m tall and looked like a modern elephant except for its spiral-shaped tusks.-Origin:...
hyodon), American horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
(Equus amerhipuus lasallei), and deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with traces of ritual ceremonies.
El Abra stadial
Dated 11,000 BCE, it is characterized by a new cooling of the weather, recession of the forests and a last glaciation. From this period the archaeological places of Tequendama FallsTequendama Falls
The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama...
in Soacha
Soacha
Soacha is the city of Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working class families.-Demographics:...
shows lithic instruments (tequendamenses tools) with a more smooth manufacture, many of them made with materials brought to this place from the Magdalena river
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
valley, such as Quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
.
Holocene
At 10,000 years BCE the last glaciation ended, the Andean forest appeared again. The lithic instruments show a rise in the recollecting activities, with rodentRodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s consumed, and low amounts of large animals hunting. The Abra caves were abandoned gradually.