11/29: Patagonia's Mylodon Cave & Torres del Paine National Park!

The last four days Steven and I had explored the southernmost part of Patagonia, a region spanning both Chile and Argentina, via a great cruise that started in Ushuaia, Argentina and ended in Punta Arenas, Chile. That was so much more enjoyable than taking a 12-hour bus ride between the two cities after our ten-day cruise through Antarctica! Researching this trip months and months ago, we became enamored and intrigued with Patagonia so decided to spend time seeing more of the Chilean part of the area. 

We left in the rental car we'd picked up the day before after the  Patagonia cruise to head north on the only road toward Puerto Natales three hours away, and from there toward Torres del Paine National Park, our destination for the next five nights. This impressive statue was our last sight of Punta Arenas. I imagine it depicted the explorers and sailors discovering the seas at the southern tip of South America. 

We were shocked at the number of roadside memorials to those who had died on the two lane highway. The flag on the left was one we'd seen often throughout the region as it was a flag of the Magellan and Antarctica area. According to official symbolism, the blue depicted the night sky, the golden peaks represented the  steppe region, the white represented the snow that often falls in winter, and the stars were the Southern Cross.

We passed masses of sheep on the otherwise almost deserted road.

As there were no gas stations or grocery stores in the national park, we gassed up and stocked up with water and snacks and some cute souvenirs (!) in Punta Natales before driving further north to Mylodon Cave National Monument. Unfortunately, we had no fridge access anywhere we were staying in the park so there was no use buying cheese or other perishable items. It meant we’d have to buy all our meals for the next week which would no doubt be expensive in the already hideously pricey accommodations.

We passed lots of estancias or ranches on the way to the park but otherwise not a thing!

The deserted road led to some beautiful vistas ahead!

When we had a few hours to explore Punta Arenas the previous afternoon after our ship docked, we spent part of the time at the Salesian Museum where we'd spotted an exhibit on the Mylodon Cave. Since the monument was a protected wildlife area 25 kms from Puerto Natales, was en route to the park, we decided to stop in as the museum exhibit had piqued our interest. 

The cave was visited by a settler, Hermann Eberhard, in 1895. He found inside the cave a strange skin with thick hairs which turned out to be the fur of an extinct animal called a mylodon. After being declared a Historical Monument in 1968, the site became a Natural Monument in 1993.

Beginning with this discovery, the cave and surrounding area became a rich source of evidence for knowing the past history of Patagonia. The caves and eaves of Benitez Hills were a rich source of study for various sciences and the findings have helped to know the history of the last 18,000 years in Patagonia. Geology has established that massive submarine avalanches gave rise to the hill’s rocks and that later a glacial lake formed the caves and eaves. 

The vegetation at the monument was representative of different vegetation zones in Patagonia. There were ancient forests, bushes with young tree saplings and also rich grassland areas filled with colorful flowers. The landscapes of this area known as Ultima Esperanza had been sculpted by ice and water processes that lasted thousands of years. 

According to archaeologists, the first inhabitants arrived in this area about 11,000 years ago advancing from the north. When the first inhabitants arrived in the southernmost tip of South America, human beings completed the occupation of all the world's continents except Antarctica. Since then, man has inhabited this land in cultural groups that changed over time. 

This was Aonikenk territory and belonged to this nomadic group who were perfectly adapted to the climate of Patagonia. Hunter-gatherers traveled throughout Patagonia using their resources to survive in this extreme environment. They hunted guanacos - similar to llamas and which you will see lots of photos of in an upcoming post - as well as pumas and other animals, using arrows, bolas and dogs. Bolas, which looked like a long piece of rope and had one, two or three stones on the end, were used for hunting pumas, guanacos or birds.

They decorated their bodies with bracelets, necklaces, and anklets and painted their bodies. They sheltered under toldos (which translates as 'awnings' but I think means tents) that they made by sewing together 30-50 guanaco skins. The toldos could accommodate an entire family. Initially, the people wore blankets as coats made from guanaco skin with the fur turned inward. By the 19th century, the coats were covered with detailed geometric patterns. 

When the first humans arrives at Ultima Esperanza, there was a wide diversity of animals of different sizes. Among them were some of great size known as megafauna which are now extinct. The megafauna coexisted 11,000 years ago in the tundra with several animals that managed to survive environmental changes and that are still present today in Ultima Esperanza.

In the archaeological and paleontological excavations carried out in caves in the Benitez hills, remains were found of large animals that lived in this part of Patagonia between approximately 14,500 and 10,000 years ago. Paleontology has characterized the extinct megafauna that lived here about 14,500 years ago including the Mylodon and the Macrauchenia, similar to an enormous guanaco and the horse. These herbivores were preyed on by the saber-toothed tiger, the Patagonian panther and the bear. 

The extinct horse, Hippidion saldiasi, weighed approximately 200 kilos and had short legs. It was the main prey of both the extinct carnivores and early Patagonia hunters. Its remains were abundant in the Milodon monument.

The Mylodon Darwini was a large mammal that lived in the region between 14,500 and 10,000 years ago. An ancient relative of the modern-day sloth, it moved on all fours, measured about two meters from head to tail, weighed about a ton and was covered with long, thick fur.

The mylodon was an herbivore that moved slowly but could be a formidable opponent for predators such as big cats because of its size, powerful claws, and tiny bones that were embedded in its skin that were remnants of an ancient protective shell similar to an armadillo. 

These large animals disappeared about 10,000 years ago, with the most widely accepted explanation being that climate change, together with phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and the arrival of the first hunters, led to their extinction.

As teeth are among the hardest parts in the body, they had endured over time and allowed scientists to know the extinct fauna that inhabited this area.

Devil’s Chair was the name given to this large rock formation.

The formation of the Mylodon Cave began about 18,000 years ago with the advance and retreat of glaciers which eroded the slopes of Benitez hill leaving the first marks of the cave. 14,500 years ago, the ice receded to the Pacific Ocean forming a lake that surrounded Benitez hill, transforming it into an island.

The waves of the lake eroded the softer layers of the hill, composed of shale and sandstone, forming a cavity. That was why the walls and ceiling of the cave remained as they were composed of conglomerates, a type of rock more resistant to erosion. Scientists know from the remains of animals found in the area that around 13,500 years ago, the lake level dropped so the cave was connected to the mainland and allowed access for the megafauna.

This rather cute statue of the extinct mylodon was the symbol for the monument!

The first inhabitants of Ultima Esperanza possessed specific technologies adapted to the resources they had. They made stone tools such as projectile points for hunting, and knives and scrapers to cut up prey. They also used bone tools to carve stones or ornaments from bird bones. Their main prey were the guanaco and the horse as the mylodon may have been more difficult to hunt. The hunters could themselves become prey to the saber-tooth tigers, Patagonia panthers and pumas, the large animals that competed with humans for food. 

Stalactites were conical formations produced by the deposit of minerals carried by water droplets that seeped through cracks in the rocks on the roof.

The cave was 200 meters deep, 80 meters wide and 30 meters high. Steven and I have been in oodles and oodles of caves in our travels around the world but I don't ever recall being in one that was essentially one single humongous room like this one before.

Many of the depressions in the floor of the cave corresponded to human excavations. Some were also made by archaeologists and researchers and others by looters looking for remains to be sold. 

Since the late 19th century, Mylodon Cave and its surroundings have been a rich source of information for archaeologists and paleontologists. Thanks to their findings here, they have been able to describe the fauna from 14,000 years ago and also were able to know the first humans who came to this area. But still only a small part of the cave has been uncovered and excavated. The floor still hides remains of extinct animals and probably humans, too. That was why it was so critical not to stray off the path and possibly destroy the remains of thousands of years. This was one of the most important archaeological and paleontological sites in the continent so it was imperative to take care of it and protect it.

The roof of the cave was made of layers of sandstone and conglomerates, composed mainly of sediments and small stones. As that layer was more resistant, it survived the erosion that was the formation of the cave. I remember thinking the roof looked like the worst case of acne possible!

It was only on our way out that Steven agreed to pose in front of the mylodon!

Around 3, we headed along a dirt road for 60 kms toward our lodging located just outside the park entrance. Almost immediately, we saw two guanacos and two ostriches on Steven's side of the road but we didn't stop to take photos, figuring we'd see many more. Of course, those were the only ostriches we saw the entire time, darn it! I found out just now while writing this post that what we thought were ostriches were actually called rheas, an animal I'd never heard of before.

Torres del Paine is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile and located 312 km north of Punta Arenas where we started out that morning and and 112 km north of Puerto Natales where we'd gassed up.

The Torres or 'towers' were the three distinctive granite peaks of the Paine mountain range and extended up to 2,500 meters above sea level. 

FYI - Paine means "blue" in the native Aonikenk language and is pronounced PIE-nay.

Were we ever in for a treat coming to Torres del Paine National Park with such breathtaking views as this one from Mirador Lago Toro. FYI - mirador, lago and toro are lookout, bull and lake, respectively, in English.

Just a mile further on were even more spectacular views from Mirador Grey!

We didn't think it could possibly be even more beautiful but we think it did when we came to the Mirador Cuernos del Paine. Cuernos means 'horns.'

Our last lookout for the day was the gorgeous Mirador Rio Serrano which overlooked the Serrano settlement and entrance to the national park. We had initially chosen to stay at a hostel or lodge here for just two nights and then one further north in the park for three nights. But we quickly changed our minds after realizing how long the drive back to Puerto Arenas would take on our last day on a lot of dirt roads plus having to stop for construction since we didn't want to take chances missing our onward flight to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Calling this a lodge was probably a misnomer as there were four-bed rooms. The price to even stay in essentially a hostel, albeit with no cooking privileges and also located outside the park, was outrageously expensive but they had visitors over a barrel unless people wanted to camp. The views were amazing, the lodge staff were outstanding, and we had no roommates so all was good!

Horses were available for trail rides but we never took advantage of that option.

The only option for dinner at the lodge was dining here where meals would set us back a good $25 apiece and only a full steak or chicken dinner was offered, no light repast. 

Instead, we walked over to a nearby hotel and split a burger and wine by the fire which suited us to a T. The views out the window were to die for!

Next post: Our windiest hikes ever at Torres del Paine!

Posted on January 12th, 2020, from Denver.