Granado Cave

Site Discovery

'A Pecos surveyor has reported the discovery of an apparent Indian burial site... Frank Granado said he found the remains along with woven mats, bowls, nets, bone implements and snake rattles...'
Newspaper dated July 16, 1976, reporting the
initial discovery of burials in Granado Cave.

 

 

 

 

Discovery of Granado Cave
In 1976, Mr. Frank Granado, a surveyor from Pecos, discovered prehistoric burials in a previously unknown cave in the Rustler Hills. An article soon appeared in the local paper. The site was brought to the attention of the state archaeologist, who suggested that Dr. Hamilton meet with Mr. Granado and arrange to see the cave. Mr. Granado was very cooperative and it soon became clear that the cave was located near Caldwell Shelter No. 1 and Brooks Cave. Granado Cave was named after its discoverer and given the official archaeological designation 41CU8.

During preliminary testing and excavation in 1976, the archaeological importance of the cave became evident. Mr. Shelby Brooks, the owner of the land on which Granado Cave and Brooks Cave are located, allowed both to be named State Archaeological Landmarks (SALs). As such, they became the first SALs located on private property in Texas.

In June 1978, Dr. Hamilton returned to Granado Cave with a team of four archaeologists to undertake recording and excavation of the site. A private collection of artifacts belonging to Mr. Granado was also studied.

Previous Archaeological Research
Over the years, there have been numerous uncontrolled excavations in the various caves and sinkholes of the Rustler Hills. Even the excavations conducted by archaeologists are somewhat confusing. Not only is the sequence of excavation unclear, but often a single site has been excavated more than once and has been given varying names by different archaeologists.

Important sites near Granado Cave include: the Caldwell Shelters (41CU1 and 41CU2); the McAlpin Caves (41CU5 and 41CU6); Brooks Cave (41CU7); and ELCOR Cave (no assigned site number).

 

 

 

 

Please consult the recently published book about Granado Cave for further details on all aspects of the project.

 

 

 

Citation Information
Donny L. Hamilton
2002, Granado Cave: Site Discovery, World Wide Web, URL, http://nautarch.tamu.edu/granado/discovery.htm, Conservation Research Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University.

This page is maintained by the staff of the Conservation Research Lab in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University (crl@tamu.edu). Last update: February 12, 2002. The contents of this site and the linked pages - text, images, and data - are intended for personal information only. Downloading of information or graphic images contained herein for private use is not discouraged; however, written permission from the Conservation Research Laboratory is required for the publication of any material. For additional details, contact Donny L Hamilton (dlhamilton@tamu.edu).