Tabon Caves

Coordinates: 9°16′48″N 117°58′53″E / 9.279882°N 117.9814°E / 9.279882; 117.9814 The Tabon Caves are a set of caves north of Quezon municipality, in the south western part of the province of Palawan on Palawan Island, in the Philippines. The caves are named after the Tabon Scrubfowl. Tabon Caves is bordered on the south by the town proper of Quezon, Bgy. Panitian on the west, and the South China Sea on the north and east. The complex has 29 explored caves (only seven of which are open for public viewing), but 215 caves are known to exist on Lipuun Point. They are maintained by the National Museum,^[1] and Diwata Cave and Liyang Cave are open to the public. The Tabon Man was discovered in the caves, one of the oldest remnants of human inhabitants found in the Philippines.

Archaeological discoveries

The skull cap remains of the Tabon Man were discovered in the Tabon Caves. The remains are approximately 22,000-24,000 years old.^[1] They were discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox and his team from the National Museum of the Philippines in 1962. The team also found burial jars, earthenware, jade ornaments and other jewelry, stone tools, animal bones, and human fossils dating back to 47,000 years ago;^[2] the earliest human remains found in the Philippines.

The archaeological finds indicate habitation from 50,000 to 700 years ago while the limestone formation in the reservation dates back from 25 million years ago, or the Lower Middle Miocene Period, based on geological studies.

The Lipuun Point Reservation, covering a 138-hectare island connected to the Palawan mainland by a mangrove forest, was declared a Site Museum Reservation in April 1972 and was made a priority site for tourism development in 1991 for its natural and cultural heritage.

References

v t e World Heritage Sites in the Philippines World Heritage Sites Baroque Churches of the Philippines San Agustin Church Paoay Church Santa Maria Church Miag-ao Church Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras Batad Rice Terraces Bangaan Rice Terraces Hungduan Rice Terraces Mayoyao Central Rice Terraces Nagacadan Rice Terraces Tubbataha Reef Historic Town of Vigan Tentative List Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary Angono Triglyphs Apo Reef Natural Park Baroque Churches of the Philippines Extension Boljoon Church Guiuan Church Loboc Church Lazi Church Tumauini Church Batanes Protected Landscapes and Seascapes Butuan Archeological Sites Chocolate Hills Natural Monument Coron Island Natural Biotic Area El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area Jesuit Churches of the Philippines Guiuan Church Baclayon Church Loboc Church Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves Liguasan Marsh Mount Apo Natural Park Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park Mount Malindang Range Natural Park Mount Matutum Protected Landscape Mount Pulag National Park Neolithic Shell Midden Sites in Lal-lo and Gattaran Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park and outlying areas inclusive of the buffer zone Paleolithic Archaeological Sites in Cagayan Valley Panglao Island, Bohol Petroglyphs and Petrographs of the Philippines San Sebastian Church Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines Fuerza de Capul Dauis Watchtower Punta Cruz Fortification Fuerza de San Andres Fuerza de Sta. Isabel Taal Volcano Protected Landscape, Batangas The Maranao Settlement of Tugaya The Tabon Cave Complex and all of Lipuun Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary