The oldest known culture from West Mexico is called Chupicuaro, after the archaeological site near the modern border of Michoacan and Guanajuato. Like other Preclassic cultures, the Chupicuaro people settled in valleys nestled among the mountains, where food and water were plentiful. Objects found in 390 grave sites at Chupicuaro have been scientifically dated from 500 B.C. to 100 B.C.; they may represent the world view of very ancient people who were scattered over West Mexico as long ago as 1000 B.C.