Cuevas Prehistóricas de Mitla

Useful Information

Location:	(16.925563, -96.327910)
Open:	All year daily 9-16. [20225]
Fee:	. [2025]
Classification:	Painted Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cuevas Prehistóricas de Mitla, Carretera a los mixes s/n, 70430 San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Oax., Tel: +52-951-264-8012, Tel: +52-951-56-43186. cuevas.prehistoricas.mitla@gmail.com
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History

01-AUG-2010

inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Description

Cuevas Prehistóricas de Mitla (Cuevas Prehistóricas de Mitla) is a number of caves with cave paintings around the village Mitla. They are also called Cuevas Prehistóricas Ree-Bilie. The caves were visited more than 10,000 years ago, a time when the nomads began to develop agriculture. They left various cave paintings in the caves. All those caves are gated but may be visited on guided tours. The caves show red hands, geometric patterns and strange symbols, but also bowl shaped rocks which wer probably mills for grinding flour and strange structures at the ceiling. Worked stones and bones were also excavated from the caves.

The most spectacular is probably the Cueva del Diablo (Devil’s Cave). This is a quite common name for a cave, many countries have such caves, and in all cases there is some kind of legend how the devil was involved. This cave is actually a sort of sacred place or actually avoided by the locals. The floor is full of bottles which are actually burnt candles, there are flowers, offerings, piles of feathers, and burning candles. Another cave is Cueva de la Ofrenda (Cave of the Offering) also known as Bilie Yälnadoo (The Story of Yälnadoo). Then there is Cueva Oscura (Dark Cave) aka Bilie Nacäy. Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands) is dubbed Bilie Naa. Cueva del Anochecer (Cave of Twilight) is also named Bilie Gäal.

Nearby Mitla has another important archaeological highlight, which is much younger. The city has various ruins of Zapotec origin, which are actually much younge but pre-spanish. During Zapotec times the city was known as Lyoba, meaning "place of burials". Later, under Mexica influence, it changed to Mitlán, meaning "place of the dead". Finally it was Hispanicized into the name Mitla.