Amazonian Painted Walls
Written by Maria Garcia
Do you know that feeling of having a treasure in your hands and then realizing it contains another one inside, and that the second one in its turn hides a third one? It is a bit like Russian dolls, each one revealing a new beauty when opened.
The treasure I am talking about now is the Amazon rainforest. We all know it is vital for our survival because of its biodiversity, as a source of oxygen, and so much more. In this privileged environment, a group of British and Colombian scientists led by José Iriarte discovered around 17 walls covered in ancient paintings in 2020. The paintings are a jewel in themselves, but they have also helped us realize that the rainforest we see nowadays was probably very different in the past.
Before I continue, I must mention that some sources claim that this rock art was already known to Colombians. Apparently, the area has been known to them since before the 1940s.
If you want to find out more about these prehistoric paintings, I recommend you watch the Channel 4 documentary titled Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon, which aired four years ago. It is presented by archaeologist Ella Al-Shamahi.
Credit: Diego Gurgel
The first surprising evidence that the Amazon was quite savannah-like in the past that Ella encounters are the huge geometric patterns carved into the earth called geoglyphs, which have been discovered because of deforestation. The people who built them had to be highly organized societies and not merely hunters and gatherers as previously believed. This takes us back hundreds of years when a member of Orellana’s expedition, a friar named Carvajal, wrote a book (Account of the Recent Discovery of the Famous Grand River which was discovered by Great Good Fortune by Captain Francisco de Orellana) in which he described large settlements on the banks of the river. Although his work was ridiculed by some, it now seems he was right.
But how are the ancient paintings related to these geoglyphs? It seems they help us reach the same conclusion: the Amazon rainforest has changed beyond recognition.
So where do we find this rock art? It is in the Serranía La Lindosa, on the northern edge of the Colombian Amazon, an area difficult to access due to geographical and political reasons. It is very remote, and to make matters worse, it belongs to the FARC guerrillas that oppose the Colombian government. The paintings are surprising for many reasons: not only their scope and variety but also the fact that they are really high up. Those who created them probably used ladders, which are depicted on the walls themselves.
Credit: Marie-Claire Thomas/Wild Blue Media
Looking up close, we can see geometric patterns, handprints, humans, plants, and animals. Thanks to these animals, we can date the paintings: they were probably created around 12,500 years ago. How do we know that? There are pictures of mastodons, for example, and we know that they became extinct more than 12,000 years ago. The sheer size of these creatures and others, like giant sloths, tells us that the rainforest was a totally different ecosystem back then.
Three-dimensional copies of the paintings were made to have them analyzed without having to trek to the jungle. Examining the entirety of these paintings will probably take scientists many years. For most of us, anyway, the best way to have a look at this archaeological marvel will be to watch the documentary. Unless you are feeling adventurous... Don’t count on me, though.
