 |
Archeological site | |
|
The forgotten gods of San Agustin
Divinities with threatening faces, warriors armed with clubs, round eyes and jaguars' teeth of mythical heroes...
Some three hundred enormous sculptures stand in the region of Saint Augustin, in the heart of the Andes, the province of El Huila.
Classified in the World Heritage List of UNESCO, this vast park, the largest one of the precolumbian America, opens the door to an unknown civilization which would have bloomed between the 6th century B.C and 12th A.D.
|
|
|
|
|
After some predecessors, the german K.Th.Preuss explored in 1914 the first vestiges buried under mounds of thirty meters in diameter.
It only was in the thirties that the real excavations started.
Carved in blocks of tuff and volcanic rock, these hieratic guards, some of which are higher than 4 meters and weigh several tons, protecting the funeral rooms, the monolithic sarcophagus and the burial sites where corpses, goldsmiths and ceramics were enclosed.
|
|
|
|
Officialy place of pilgrimage and worship of the ancestors, this sacred land is now open to visitors.
Exuberant forests, wild symphony of waterfalls, a few villages and hamlets around a white church... the scene is somptuous.
The archeologic site of San Augustin can be discovered by walk, by horse, or even by jeep extended on a territory of 2000 km2, for an altitude of only 1800 meters, with snow covering the top.
The locals are hospitable.
Guides are available...
The visitors infos have good supplies with easy and also detailed documentations..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
