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PUBLISHED April 26, 2011
PHOTOGRAPHY and WORDS BY MARIANO SAYNO

Callao Cave is one of many limestone caves within the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape. First excavated in 1980s, it actually consists of seven chambers—making it not only the best known natural tourist attraction in Cagayan province but also been recognized as an important cultural property of the Philippines.

Callao Cave Cagayan Mariano Sayno DSC_0086

On July 16, 1935, Proclamation No. 827 established the Callao Cave as one of the earliest national parks in the country and declared an area of 192 hectares large for its conservation.

There are more than 300 caves in the protected area, 75 of which have been documented by the National Museum since 1977. The most well-known caves—Sierra Cave and Callao Caves—can both be reached by car. Callao Cave is the easiest to access, since its entrance is located just 184 steps up a concrete staircase.

Callao Cave Cagayan Mariano Sayno DSC_0086

On July 16, 1935, Proclamation No. 827 established the Callao Cave as one of the earliest national parks in the country and declared an area of 192 hectares large for its conservation.

There are more than 300 caves in the protected area, 75 of which have been documented by the National Museum since 1977. The most well-known caves—Sierra Cave and Callao Caves—can both be reached by car. Callao Cave is the easiest to access, since its entrance is located just 184 steps up a concrete staircase.

The Callao Cave system has seven chambers, with natural crevices above to let streams of light into the dark areas. An earthquake in 1980 cut off the last two caves that had previously been part of a larger network.

The first chamber has a cathedral-like feel, and is used as an improvised chapel by the locals. It’s also the largest of all chambers—a large rock formation serving as its altar gets lit up from above when sunlight streams in through an opening in roof.

The Callao Caves can be visited by experienced spelunkers or caving enthusiasts on guided tours, although some portions may be closed seasonally or permanently for conservation purposes.

Analysis of the sediments and deposits within the cave has definitively identified human occupation dating back at least 67,000 years B.P., indicating that this site was only intermittently occupied during its 77,000-year history.

In 2007, Callao Cave fossils dating back to the Late Pleistocene period were discovered by a team of Filipino, French and Australian archeologists led by Armand Salvador Mijares from the University of Philippines; they were eventually identified as belonging to an extinct human sub-species, Callao Man or Homo luzonensis in year 2019.

It was found to be at least 67,000 years old. The discovery of this fossil, which predates all previous finds from the Philippines (including those from Palawan Tabon Man), represents the earliest evidence of human occupation in Southeast Asia. The find is the oldest human traces ever found in all of Asia-Pacific, adding a new chapter to the complex history of human evolution.

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