Prehistoric Rock Art in Carabaya Province, Puno Region

Rocío and I visited multiple prehistoric rock art locations on our second Macusani day trip. Amazingly, no site had signs or barriers around them. Without our guide Ulices we wouldn’t have known they were there.

Between Macusani and Tantamaco Ulices showed us prehistoric rock paintings with white, red and orange pigments. Either the artists only used these colours or the other pigments had faded with time. Ulices didn’t know the painting ages, responding in Spanish that they were possibly as old as 3,000 BC.

Prehistoric rock paintings, Macusani District, Peru

Geometric rock paintings of different patterns

Prehistoric rock paintings including animals and rainbow, Macusani District, Peru

This artwork includes multiple animal paintings and a two-tone rainbow

Near Aymaña in the Corani District we visited the Titulmachay Cave covered in ancient petroglyphs of condors, camelids and other images. Being there recalled childhood dreams about cavemen, fires and wooden clubs.

The carvings were black except for those exposed to higher temperatures from cave fires over the centuries.

Prehistoric cave petroglyphs, Corani District, Peru

The cave with black petroglyphs above and white ones below

Ulices was uncertain about the petroglyph ages, answering with ‘up to 3,000 BC’ just like with the paintings.

Prehistoric cave petroglyphs, Corani District, Peru

A condor flying (top right) along with other petroglyphs

Prehistoric cave petroglyphs, Corani District, Peru

This petroglyph could be a dog, camelid or other animal

In addition to the decorative carvings, a few notches or hooks of a more practical nature were also chiselled into the cave wall.

Prehistoric cave petroglyphs, Corani District, PeruThis hook looks like it had a practical purpose

At the pre-Inca archaeological site Marca Marca we saw a final example of prehistoric rock art under an overhang.

Prehistoric rock pictographs, Marca Marca, Macusani District, Peru, Corani District, Peru

Red rock paintings at Marca Marca, Carabaya Province

6 thoughts on “Prehistoric Rock Art in Carabaya Province, Puno Region

  1. Pingback: Corani and its Colonial Church, Peru | Where is Joe.in?

      • fair enough, but logic and the powers of deduction conclude that plant based paints spat out of mouth or even painted on CANNOT withstand humidity or oxygen exposure for more than 10 years…

        how old do I think they are? 10-20 years… then the scammer would come along and re-spit the plant based paint.

        Have you ever wondered why to preserve art they need to enclose in airtight (vacuums) glass containers (thing American declaration independence et el.)…

        under NO circumstances believe anyone who says cave art is older than 20 years… they are LYING…

        end of story…

        p.s. dinosaurs are also FAKE and LIES… no such creatures ever existed and any fossils found were found by frauds (artists) who sculpt the fake dinosaur bones out of rock…

        • Some of the paints are likely non-plant based (such as from rock). And even plant-based could last a long time.

          The reason many ancient relics are kept in specific conditions is to slow down their rate of decay.

          As per the lack of cave art older than 20 years and the non-existence of dinosaurs, you’re just spouting rubbish and not worth debating.

          • My poor unenlightened Joey, let me set you straight on a few facts of nature.

            1st – No, and I do mean NO plant based paint or dyes can last more than 20 years exposed to the elements. Notice how all your pics that show “examples” of 5,000 year old art are out in the open exposed to rain, wind, humidity, sun, oxygen etc… For the love of Mike, get with reality man…

            2nd – people who fear the truth shun debate. You wish to live in your fantasy land where you travel around the world taking pics of “ancient” art exposed on exterior rock surfaces. You return home and thus set about drinking wine with losers & women from middle classes about how awesome you and your “ancient” pics are… well done sir… A life well lived… full of fantasy chats with idle women and gay men about how important you are…

            continue on… forget I ever tried to set you FREE… I’ll not debate an ungrateful swine such as yourself, go drink some wine and go to sleep… You need to do a dinosaur exhibition next lol – bahahahaha

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