The end of the war in Colombia unlocks a hidden paradise in the Amazon

The peace agreement between Colombia and the Revolutionary Army of Colombia (FARC) it has already two year and not only has broad peace to one of the most beautiful and vibrant countries in the world, but it also has unlocked the Chiribiquete region in the colombian Amazon. What has been found over there worth the name of “Sixtine chapel” of the Amazon. Almost, 60.000 outdoor paintings are spread the inner part of this vast mountains, called “tepuis” where it hides an indigean history wich can be traced to 20.000 years backwards. It is the biggest archeological discoverment since Atapuerca. His discover, Francisco Forero Bonell, camera man from the documental Colombia, wild magic has put above the table one of the biggest archeological discoverments since the Hidden Temple or the Aliance Ark.  

Without doubt, it is one othe most unreacheable art forms in the world. The big massis where they’re hide its locked with several layers of protection. They’re not only found in a mountain massis surrended by several layers of unreachable forest, but they’re in the land of the last tribus of the Amazon. Those one who hasn’t been contacted by anyone. Those that don’t have an Arsenal t-shirt. Besides that, It has been since late a land protected for the army of the FARC wich onlye has been unlocked thanks to the recent deal peace. On top of that, its full of hunters and illegal miners that find emeralds and gold. An authentic Holliwood ‘plato’ where the natives have been painting they’re stories since (some say) 20.000 years; something that we could not know for shure due that they’re have been painted with derivates of oxide that can’t be dated with the carbon 14 techniques.

The maloca of the jaguar

Chiribiquete means, literally, “La maloca of the jaguar”; wich in the spanish of southamerica will mean roofly “The house of the panter”. They call “maloca” to the typical construction of the rainforest”. That’s the way that the natives of the upper jungle tag the place where this paints are located.  A lot of them, they’re truly universal representations where notions such the infinite or the life are criss crossed with shapes of panters, deers, or snakes, creating a very complex grammar wich involves they’re own beliefs.

The very first western eyes who could regard these paintings, were Richard Evan Schultes; the legendary biologist who travelled around the region during ther earlys 40; just before the II World War. The guy booked 30.000 species and discovered 300 new species. In fact, (and that’s curius), the movie The huge of the serpent used legendary adventure to built up one of the main characters of the film. The interesting part of the film it is that (this movie nominated to the 2016 Oscar) shows the main role, the indian Karamate, making some similar drawings in the surface of a rock.

    A passage of the huge of the Snake where the indian Karamakate is making some drawings in a rock.

According to Carlos Castaño, ancient director of the Chiribiquete park, “the main theme of the mural paintings is the ritual of the Malaké Indians: an act of iniciation for the warriors and the hunters” wich can be perpetuated in those walls for thousands of years. The mural paintings are one of the more ancient artitistic forms of the Humanity; the oldest, they’re around 35.000 years (when the last Ice age endeed). It is believe that they’re use was reserverd only for the shamans of the karijona Indians, wich realized they’re drawings during the religious rituals.

In the park, there’s  more than 250.000 tepuís that are hidden underneath of this rock walls. The acces to them its very complicated, because they emerge from the middle of the jungle; like giants raising in a vegetal sea colored for impetous rivers, vegetal canopy and infected of giant anacondas, panters and cocodriles. All along the way, there’s more than 60.000 mural drawings according what the Castaño teacher could tag during his two year exploration. However, he never could stand again in these mountains; wich they’re only reacheable by plain. That ancient, unreachability its one of the factors that could made it a sacred place for the elders tribes of the Amazon.

Don Pablo was there

And yet, Don Pablo Escobar knew about this place, and even used. What a paradox: a place only kwnow for milenial shamans and for the drug lord of the XX century. When the expedition of Francisco Forero Bonell arrived to the tepuis 10 years ago, they found airstrips, trucks, bulldozers and even precarious labs of cocaine. Sure to hell that it would look like a Lost chapter in cocaine version. As a matter of fact, Francisco Urbina, philosopher and teacher of indigenous lenguages — who during his first expeditions took, by first hand, the extrange tale of one group of indigenous people who had escape from the FARC army. According to him, after escaping from the ‘guerrilla’, he arrived to the tepuis and saw how two natives (of the non contact ones) where painting the surfaces of some rock walls. That been true, means that he saw one of the last non contacted tribes of the world. 

      Indigenous culture from the Amazon jungle its still wide uknown for the western people. 

A first sight to this culture, seems to tell that this non contacted tribe was the heiress of tis indigeans painters; and therefore, that these group of hunters-pickers could had an history that goes back to a past eaten by the flooding lands of the rainforests. Luckily, Colombía has been smart enough to califiy all the area as National Park, creating a reserve of 2.7 millons of hectares that gathers all the big things of the area; such as the ‘Sixtine Chapel’ of the ancient art, but also small miracles like the fliyings of the emerald hummingbird; a subspecie of the hummingbird witch only exists in the park. One that will keep flapping they’re wings for long years ahead.

¡Keep track of our stories young fella by following us in Facebook or Twitter!

To expand the walls of the rainforests look at: 

- 7 days after the great birth of the I.A

- This will be the supercomputer of the future
- The big monkeys are desappiring
- 10 refugee camps where we hide the misery