Visitors are greeted by a wild and impressive landscape in the heart of the Andes mountain range. You’ll soon be surrounded by mythical deities and animals. Welcome to San Agustin Archaeological Park in Colombia. Prefer videos? Don’t miss our video on southern Colombia here.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, the park bears witness to the social, political and religious life of a pre-Hispanic civilisation that is largely unknown to researchers. Located in the department of Huila, it covers the municipalities of San Agustin and Isnos.
San Agustin archaeological park in Colombia
The San Agustin Archaeological Park comprises a collection of more than 600 monumental monolithic sculptures in styles ranging from realism to abstraction. Comprising San Agustin, Alto de los Ídolos and Alto de las Piedras, the park covers more than 50 km2 on plateaux on either side of the canyon created by the River Magdalena.
The site includes large stone tombs, with sculptures of local animals as well as gorillas, African elephants and turbaned men, carved from tuff and volcanic rock known as andesite.
The civilisation of San Agustin
The origin of these sculptures remains a mystery to this day, because to date no traces of writing have been found, but it should be noted that most of the site has not yet been excavated. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that the San Agustin civilisation reached its peak between the 1st and 8th centuries AD, although some archaeologists date the remains to the 11th century BC.
In any case, we know that the San Agustin archaeological park in Colombia was a centre for funerary ceremonies, a sacred land and a place of pilgrimage that was certainly intended to express the link between deceased ancestors and the region itself.
The wealth and impressive quantity of funerary monuments show the great artistic creativity and imagination of this civilisation.
Here is a very interesting article by a blogger on this exceptional site. He talks about his experiences there and in the magnificent Tatacoa Desert.
Looking for a holiday in San Agustin? Here’s a great idea.
For more information on the San Agustin Archaeological Park in Colombia, click here to visit the UNESCO website.
Would you like to go to San Agustin and visit its archaeological gems? Contact us now for more information and to plan your tailor-made trip together.
Would you like more advice on what to do in San Agustin? Have you already visited the area? The comments section below is for you!
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