Baker Cave

Baker Cave is a prehistoric archaeological site, located on a small canyon near Devils River in Southwest Texas. Dating from circa 7,000–7,800 BCE, Baker Cave is a part of a system of rock shelters in the Lower Pecos Canyons region and was 120 feet long by 56 feet deep (37 m × 17 m). The ceiling varied from 18 feet (5.5 m) at the mouth to just a few inches in the back. These sites are common in the limestone formations in the Lower Pecos region. The site was perched well above the flood, preserving the materials that ancient peoples had left behind. A large cooking hearth was found inside it, dating to around 9,000 years ago, and containing small creatures such as snakes, rats, fish, and rabbits, and a wide variety of seeds and nuts, indicating a diversified diet. The recovery of a complete Golondrina point established Paleo-Indian residence in Baker Cave. They were estimated, by radiocarbon dating, to have been there sometime between 7080 BCE and 6960 BCE. These dates are older and not consistent with other sites in the area. Potential contamination of the charcoal tested could have led to this difference in dates. The people at Baker Cave had an archaic life and lived off small game and foraging. The mouth of the cave was primarily used for cooking, the middle of everyday life routine, and the rear of the cave for food processing. No further research has been done on Baker Cave; however, the Lower Pecos Region of Texas has numerous other cave excavations ongoing.