The cave of Kiputz was recovered in 2002 by the group of professionals of Azkoitia Munibe. Two years later, in 2004, the excavation was launched under the direction of Pedro Castaños, a member of the Society of Sciences Aranzadi and Xabier Murelaga, a professor at the Paleontology Department of the UPV. The work was carried out in four phases. The work team consisted of Miguel Sasieta, Juan Mari Arruabarrena, Javier Alberdi and Jesús Larrañaga, by Munibe Taldea, with the collaboration of Juan Mari Arrizabalaga, owner of the lands where the cave is located.

The Kiputz Cave was a natural trap for the species of the time. "The cave was almost vertical and when the animals fell in it they had no chance to leave. This avoided the relationship between humans and other animals," explained those responsible for the exposure. "It's a deposit of extraordinary wealth, a circular hole of 2.5 meters in diameter. We've identified 70 percent of the bones and species found," they explained. Now, the San Telmo Museum of Donostia-San Sebastián hosts an exhibition that shows the presence of a bison, a snow deer and a bear skeleton. 'Kiputz. The exhibition, entitled 'The Chasm in Prehistory', can be visited until 9 February 2020.

History of the cave

On the last glacier, 110,000-10-000 years ago, the shore of the Cantabrian coast was the steppe, the animal corral that today are not seen in our mountains: snow deer, hairy rhinocerons, steppe bison or mamuts. Although they lived with humans, these animals disappeared as the climate began to temper. The bones that have been preserved in time have made it clear that they lived on Basque territory, including those found in the cave of Kiputz.

In the cave of Kiputze they met animals that had lived between 18.000-19,000 years ago, including eighteen whole bison. They're the same as bison drawn in various caves, the steppe bison or Bison priscus. Those in charge of the center estimate that it could reach even though it weighed about a thousand kilos. Remains of deer and snow bears were also found.

The bison skeleton located at the exhibition installed at the San Telmo Museum has been remodeled with a reproduction or copy of the skull. This same copy can be found in a display showcase. The exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 20:00 hours. On Tuesdays the entry will be free of charge; otherwise, the price of the entry is EUR 6. The San Telmo Museum of Donostia will host family workshops during this Christmas and on 16 January a guided visit will be made in Euskera, with the experts Pedro Castaños and Xabier Murelaga. In case of booking, the visit will be free of charge.