[4] It was used over a span of 10,000 years, mostly during the Archaic period, as a shelter and gathering place during the rainy season for groups of foragers as large as 25–30 individuals.
[5] These “macroband” camps, made up of “microband” family groupings, would occupy cave sites in the region during a time when food resources were especially plentiful.
[8] It is due to the extensive study of the site by Dr. Richard (Scotty) MacNeish that much of the historical and cultural record was established, especially from the Archaic period when the cave was most active.
[10] The karst-formed 7 Coxcatlán cave is located in the Tehuacan Valley highlands amidst the dry thorn forest typical of the Sierra Madre mountainous region.
The development of agriculture is evidence of the Law of Least Effort and Romenʼs Rule, encouraging practices that promote higher productivity to secure and store a greater amount of food.
[4] Some of the items of interest found in the cave include: a corn cob dated to 5000 BC; evidence of squash, beans, bottle gourds; along with an ink pen and containing vessels using pre-ceramic material.
[7][11] A later, more thorough study by Bruce D. Smith of museum-held artifacts from the region established a complete description of the remains in the cave, based on radioactive dating of the material.