Rock Art Research

This paper examines Amerindian rock art recovered on an isolated boulder located near the Upuigma Tepui in the Arauák River Valley in Bolívar State, southeastern Venezuela. We explore some ideas about the possible use of this boulder by the indigenous hunter-gatherers, both as a shelter and as a place for enacting ritual activities, in the broader context of the cultural landscape. Preliminary stylistic analysis suggests possible regional interrelationships of the pictograms with other rock art sites. Evidence also suggests the source of the red ochre used for the paintings, which might have come from a mineral anomaly close to the site. In addition, we briefly present some petroglyphs found within the same regional context. We stress the necessity of further systematic research into this phenomenon given the potential for encountering more pictograms and petroglyphs as well as other valuable data which would contribute to a better understanding of the chronology and sociocultural context of the long-past humans in this remote area of northern South America. Finally, we call for the protection of these pictograms as valuable heritage sites.