Small handprints (2022) by ERC LASTJOURNEY projectUniversity of Exeter
The paintings at La Lindosa were created over 1000s of years
Probably by many different groups of people. Archaeologists have been conducting detailed studies of the paintings and the surrounding area over the last few years.
Since the 2016 Colombian Peace Accord made outside research possible again following decades of conflict. This research has revealed fascinating details about the earliest people to paint on the rocks of La Lindosa.
Excavation (2021-11-14) by Daniel Fiore, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
Ancient arrivals
Archaeologists excavating at La Lindosa have used radiocarbon dating to discover when the first humans arrived in this part of the Amazon. Analysis of organic remains left behind by these people, like seeds and bones, shows that humans arrived here around 12,600 years ago.
The first humans to arrive here came from the north. As they set foot in modern day Colombia they became the first people in South America, arriving around 12,600 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Their ancestors had migrated from Siberia into North America and then continued south. This migration into South America was the last stage of the great human journey from our origins in Africa to new lands all over the world.
Panoramic view of forest and the Demoledores panel (2021-11-13) by Daniel Fiore, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
New worlds
These pioneers became the first humans in the region we now know as the Amazon. They likely found a more open and mixed terrain than exists today. The biodiverse wildlife was also different, including animals which are now extinct such as giant ground sloths and mammoths.
Detail of rock art on the Nuevo Tolima panel (2021-11-15) by Pete Kelsey, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
Spiritual legacies
These first people of La Lindosa likely brought with them the culture and beliefs of their ancestors in Siberia and North America. Some experts see common threads linking the role of shamans in indigenous cultures in Siberia, North America, and the Amazon today.
Excavation (2021-11-12) by Daniel Fiore, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
Daily essentials
Archaeologists study the remains left by these early Amazonians, like seeds and bones, to see how they used the practical resources around them. They ate fish, small mammals and reptiles, and many types of palm and other tree fruits and tubers. They also used simple stone tools.
Artefact in Hand (2021-11-12) by Daniel Fiore, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
Ancient paintings
Amongst finds from the time of the earliest humans at La Lindosa, archaeologists found thin fragments which had fallen from the rock faces. Some had been painted with the same ochre pigments used in the rock art we can see today.
Detail of rock art on the Las Dantas panel (2021-11-12) by Pete Kelsey, SEARCHUniversity of Exeter
Painting the Amazonian world
It seems that as soon as humans arrived here, they began to paint themselves into the landscape alongside the other living creatures they found. They mapped their new Amazonian world as they explored, humanizing and constructing new identities in the unfamiliar landscapes.
