Neolithic Shell Midden Sites

Several shell middens dot the banks of the Cagayan river. Between the two towns, Lal-lo is more interesting as it was the site of one of the four earliest cities in the Philippines, Ciudad de Nueva Segovia; its decline and demise, however, started with the transfer of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia to Vigan, an already WHS. These ancient garbages tell us more than the diet that early inhabitants in this area had. It also illustrates the material culture and lifestyles that they had through bones, beads, shards, among others, found together with the middens. Despite the sites' archaeological importance in the region, they still clearly struggle in being relevant and meaningful to travelers and even to the people living in the areas themselves.