Bintakan Cave

Bintakan Cave is a limestone cave and important archaeological site located in Barangay Bintakan, Lagawe, the capital municipality of Ifugao Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region of northern Luzon, Philippines. Excavated in the 1970s, the cave yielded Neolithic stone tools, pottery, and faunal remains that provide evidence of early human occupation in Ifugao. It is recognized as a significant prehistoric site illustrating the region's ancient settlement history.

Visitors can expect a small natural limestone cave set on a forested hillside near Lagawe town. The cave interior is relatively shallow with natural rock formations and visible archaeological layers. Access requires a short walk and climb from the road. The site is not developed as a show cave with lighting or paved walkways and is primarily of archaeological and educational interest. A local guide is typically needed to locate the entrance and provide context.

Excavated in 1975-1976 by archaeologist Warren Peterson, Bintakan Cave provided stratified evidence of Neolithic occupation in Ifugao. Finds included chert flaked tools, pottery, animal bones and shell remains, helping establish a chronology for early settlement in the region and contributing to the study of prehistoric cultural development in northern Luzon.

The cave is culturally significant as evidence of the lifeways of early ancestors of the Ifugao people prior to the development of the Ifugao Rice Terraces. It is regarded as an important archaeological heritage site representing the prehistory of Ifugao and the Cordillera region.