Guitarrero Cave

Guitarrero Cave is an archaeological rock shelter in Peru’s Ancash Department notable for deep, stratified prehistoric deposits containing organic artifacts. The site has produced some of the earliest securely dated human evidence in the Andean highlands.

Excavations recovered multiple occupation layers with stone tools, woven materials, and botanical remains that date to the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene periods, making it important for understanding early highland lifeways. The cave has been a key reference for archaeologists studying the transition to sedentary plant use in the Andes.

Archaeological work at the cave began in the 20th century and has focused on stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating of organic finds, and the identification of early domesticates and technologies. The site’s sequences record changing use over thousands of years, from early hunter-gatherer occupations to later preceramic activity.

Guitarrero Cave is located in the highlands of Ancash, in the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Blanca/Callejón de Huaylas region of northern Peru. It sits inland above valley floors and is accessed from local mountain roads and trails.

• Organic Preservation: Stratified deposits at the cave include well-preserved organic materials such as textiles, plant remains and wooden artifacts, which are rare for sites of this age in the region.