Overhead View of Mesita B (2023) by Juana Segura and Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History – ICANHInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
1000 B.C. and 1000 A.D.
The San Agustín Archaeological Park reflects 2,000 years of landscape changes by communities living in the Upper Magdalena region from 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.
Panoramic View – San Agustín Archaeological Park (2023) by Juana Segura and Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History – ICANHInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
Large Complex of Megalithic Monuments
This park is a monumental complex of megalithic monuments from pre-Columbian America and symbolizes the ability of pre-Hispanic societies in northern South America to create and express their social organization and worldview through stone sculptures.
Sculptures from San Agustín, Alto de las Piedras, and Alto de los Ídolos (2023)Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
San Agustín statuary is concentrated in three main areas: Mesitas, Alto de los Ídolos, and Alto de las Piedras. While closely related, each site is archaeologically unique and located within a radius of less than 20 kilometers from the town center of San Agustín.
Triangular Head – San Agustín Archaeological Park (1960) by Luis Duque GómezInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
A History of Discovery
Various chroniclers, travelers, and archaeologists have explored, described, and studied the Agustinian statuary from centuries past to the present day.
Excavation Process (1943) by Luis Duque GomezInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
Beginnings of Archaeological Research in San Agustín
Between 1913 and 1914, German ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss carried out the first scientific investigation at this archaeological site. This marked the beginning of several excavation efforts, including work at Mesita B in 1943 by Colombian archaeologist Luis Duque Gómez.
Eagle with Snake Statue – Mesita B, San Agustín Archaeological Park (1960) by Luis Duque GómezInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
What do the statues of the Upper Magdalena represent?
There are different interpretations about the meaning of the statues from the Upper Magdalena and whether they depict human figures or not. Most agree that they do not represent a purely natural world.
Zoomorphic Stone Sculpture (2023) by Juana SeguraInstituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia – ICANH
Supernatural World
In this supernatural world, there are beings with human, zoomorphic, and anthropo-zoomorphic features. During your visit to the park, you can discover stone-carved human-like figures carrying large lizard-shaped creatures on their backs, among many others.
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