Cave Paintings in the Baja
Today, more and more tourists are coming to Baja, many
for whale watching or sea kayaking, fishing, golf and looking for a permanent
place in this paradise we call Los Cabos, but also to see the painted rock-shelters, which were added to
UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1993
Baja California Sur (South Baja) is a fascinating region consisting of
endless landscapes among which are found spectacular deserts with deep canyons
and large plateaus that have remained intact, priceless evidence of a long
history of colonization and survival.
This is "Arid America", a jealous guardian that still protects
within its caves monumental and colorful rock paintings. These gorgeous archeological
remains tell amazing stories about ancient societies composed of semi-nomadic
warriors, hunters, fishermen and harvesters whose abundant populations
dominated the bow, the arrow and the boomerang.
Unfortunately very little is known about these fascinating paintings,
since it was barely 20 years ago that they started to be systematically
studied. Although the
Baja California Indians have been asked the meanings of the paintings, rays,
and characters they could not attain any satisfactory reason. The most that has
been found out is that [the paintings] are of their ancestors and that those of
today are completely ignorant of the meaning. However, we do know they
are spread along 7.5 square miles in the central region of the Baja California
Peninsula, and the epicenter is located at the Sierra de San Francisco. This
place has extensive canyons that protect one of the largest and most enigmatic
complexes of cave paintings in the world. This is why it was declared as a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is also worth mentioning that only in
Australia have cave paintings with similar characteristics to those in Baja
been found.
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