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Post by buenopues on Feb 11, 2019 18:44:05 GMT -5
There is an area in Colombia that I visited last week where plate tectonics and volcanic activity have produced huge sandstone formations in what is known as the Serranía La Lindosa in Guaviare department. Over millennia local Indian populations have produced pictograms on the many cliff faces. Unfortunately it is not possible to carbon date them because they were painted with mineral based iron oxide pigments rather than organic material as is the case with the European cave paintings but speculation ranges from as recently as the Spanish conquest for some to ten thousand years or possibly older for others. In one of the paintings there is an animal that could be a Giant Ground Sloth. If so it could be it an image from a tribal recollection or more excitingly it could have been depicted from personal observation by the artist which would push the creation of the image to at least ten thousand years ago when those animals went extinct. There is speculation that another section was painted much more recently during the invasion by the Spanish Conquistadores and that the apparently frightened people face a Spanish war dog which the Conquistadores used to attack and kill the Indians. The Indians made traps of sharp spines to pierce the dogs' feet and deter them but the Spaniards devised iron paw protectors which may be what we see on the animal's feet. It is a fascinating place to visit with it's special geography, paleontology and amazing nature (so many monkey species everywhere you go) and if you you wish to enjoy a far flung place in Colombia only recently made safe for foreigners by the peace agreement and dispersion of the FARC then you should go.
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 19, 2019 9:46:56 GMT -5
How did you get there? A DC-5 like Caño Cristales?
Is this the park with limited access?
Lots of bugs there? I dont like bugs..
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 19, 2019 10:02:42 GMT -5
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Post by buenopues on Mar 20, 2019 18:45:12 GMT -5
Exp didn't see your post for a while. I don't know what type of aircraft we were on from Bogota to San Jose Del Guaviare but it was propeller driven. It was operated by Sateana. Regarding limited access no, I forget the name but yes there is a nearby parque Nacional which is home to some relatively uncontacted Indians. It is off limits. However the park where the pictograms are is quite open to tourism. And no worry about insects, I hardly saw any and none worth a photograph. This might not interest you but there are two species of "Cock-of the-Rock" in Colombia. One is the Andean and it can be seen in a couple of sites around Cali and at many popular birding locations in Ecuador and Peru. The other is the Guianian and it is only found in Eastern Colombia and over into Brazil. It is not a difficult find in San Jose Del Guaviare.
The Llanos and Yopal is another great place to visit for wildlife and there are some excellent guide services. I didn't see any big bugs there either but I think you have to go out at night to see the most impressive ones. Anyway those are two areas of Colombia that are must see in my opinion.
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