A recent study of rock art in the Colombian Amazon provides new insights into the complex relationships between the region’s earliest settlers and the animals they encountered. The research, published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, focuses on the Cerro Azul site in the Serranía de la Lindosa, a region adorned with thousands of ochre paintings on rocky outcrops.

The rock art at Cerro Azul is the earliest evidence of humans living in western Amazonia. Credit: University of Exeter

The rock art at Cerro Azul, dating back approximately 12,500 years, represents some of the earliest evidence of human presence in western Amazonia. “These rock art sites include the earliest evidence of humans in western Amazonia,” said Dr. Mark Robinson, an ᴀssociate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Exeter.

The research team cataloged 3,223 images using drone pH๏τogrammetry and traditional pH๏τography. These images were categorized by form, with 58% being figurative. Of these, more than half depicted animals, including deer, birds, peccary, lizards, turtles, and tapir. In total, at least 22 different animal species were identified.

Interestingly, the proportions of animal bones found in nearby excavations do not align with the frequency of animals depicted in the art. This suggests that the ancient artists did not simply paint the animals they commonly ate. The animal bones revealed a varied diet including fish, small to large mammals, and reptiles such as turtles, snakes, and crocodiles.

Cerro Azul with the location of the rock art panels and the excavation site analyzed in this study. Credit: Robinson et al., Journal of Anthropological Archaeology (2024)

“The context demonstrates the complexity of Amazonian relationships with animals, both as a food source but also as revered beings, which had supernatural connections and demanded complex negotiations from ritual specialists,” Dr. Robinson explained.

The art also reveals a rich mythology that guided generations of indigenous Amazonians. Some images depict transformations between humans and animals, highlighting a complex belief system. “Though we cannot be certain what meaning these images have, they certainly do offer greater nuance to our understanding of the power of myths in indigenous communities,” noted Professor José Iriarte of the University of Exeter. “They are particularly revealing when it comes to more cosmological aspects of Amazonian life, such as what is considered taboo, where power resides, and how negotiations with the supernatural were conducted.”

Among the 16 ‘panels’ of ochre drawings at Cerro Azul, six were studied in detail. These ranged from the expansive 40-meter-by-10-meter El Más Largo, containing over 1,000 images, to the smaller 10-meter-by-6-meter Principal, which holds 244 images. Many of these images are well-preserved and vividly red.

Images of potential a) fishing; b, c, e) hunting; d) monkey leaping/transforming sequence; f) and an unknown animal with circular feet and curved head elements. Credit: Robinson et al., Journal of Anthropological Archaeology (2024)

Despite the abundance of fish remains found in archaeological sites, their depiction in the art is limited, appearing in just two panels in what seem to be fishing scenes. Notably absent are big cats, such as jaguars, despite their significance as apex predators in the region. This absence might indicate a cultural restriction on depicting such powerful animals.

Dr. Javier Aceituno of Universidad de Antioquia said: “The Indigenous people of Cerro Azul and the surrounding lands hunted and depicted a diverse array of animals from different ecologies – from aquatic fish to arboreal monkeys; terrestrial deer to aerial birds, both nocturnal and diurnal.” This broad subsistence strategy involved tracking and hunting animals and harvesting plants from various habitats, including savannahs, flooded forests, and rivers.

By comparing the depicted animals with the remains found, the researchers concluded that rock art was not merely a record of daily life but also a representation of the settlers’ spiritual and cultural beliefs. “Our approach reveals differences between what indigenous communities exploited for food and what is conceptually important to represent – and not represent – in art,” Professor Iriarte concluded.

University of Exeter

More information: Robinson, M., Hampson, J., Osborn, J., Aceituno, F. J., Morcote-Ríos, G., Ziegler, M. J., & Iriarte, J. (2024). Animals of the Serranía de la Lindosa: Exploring representation and categorisation in the rock art and zooarchaeological remains of the Colombian Amazon. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 75(101613), 101613. doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2024.101613