The Petroglyphs of Pusharo constitute a unique and extensive ancient

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

in southeastern

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Manú National Park Manu National Park () is a national park and biosphere reserve located in the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco in Peru. It protects a diverse number of ecosystems including lowland rainforests, cloud forests and Andean grasslands. History M ...

, an expanse of

rain forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

that still contains unexplored and little known areas, and for which an official government permit is required for entry.

Discovery

It appears that a

rubber tapper Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years ...

who participated in a violent attack on

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

in 1909 may have been the first non-indigenous person to encounter the

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s, with the next visit having been made by Vicente Cenitagoya, a missionary of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

, in 1921. A smattering of adventurers began to arrive at the site in the 1950s, and in 1969 it was visited by the Peruvian physician Dr. Carlos Neuenschwander Landa (who would return in later years accompanied by Peruvian explorer, Sr. Santiago Yábar). In 1970 another Dominican, Padre Adolfo Torrealba, reached the site, followed by Japanese explorer Yoshiharo Sekino, and the French-Peruvian explorers Herbert and Nicole Cartagena in 1978. Two years later, it was visited by Peruvian

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Federico Kauffmann Doig Federico Kauffmann Doig (born September 20, 1928) is a Peruvian historian, archaeologist, and anthropologist. He has made great contributions to the study of the civilizations of Ancient Peru, particularly on the Chavín culture and the Chachap ...

. In 1991 the party of North American explorer Gregory Deyermenjian, including Peruvian explorer Paulino Mamani and the previously mentioned Santiago Yábar, arrived at Pusharo. The site has since been visited and studied by rock art scholar Rainer Hostnig. In 2008, it was the subject of a documentary-trek filmed for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series '' Extreme Dreams'' presented by

Ben Fogle Benjamin Myer Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV. Early life Fogle is the son of English actress Julia ...

. In 2016, the petroglyphs of the site played an important role in the research of Vincent Pélissier, as he searched for the mythical lost city of

Paititi Paititi is a legendary Inca lost city or utopian rich land. It allegedly lies east of the Andes, hidden somewhere within the remote rainforests of southeast Peru, northern Bolivia or northwest Brazil. The Paititi legend in Peru revolves around the ...

. In the research, the petroglyphs were interpreted as a map, leading from the glyphs to the city. The research assumes two things as fact: the petroglyphs are a map, and the carvings were made by the Inca. Neither of these assumptions have been proven definitively.

Description

The site is made up of an array of deeply incised rock carvings that cover up to a height of 9 feet, a perpendicular rock face that is over 100 feet long and 75 feet high. Its location is on the south shore of the

Río Palatoa Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

(designated on some maps at this location as the Porotoa, and known by others as the Palatoa Chico). The petroglyphs are thought by some researchers to be purely pan-Amazonian in origin, and of mistico-religious or shamanic significance to those Amerindians of past centuries who must have been their creators. Others believe that there is an Inca component that is now coming to light, and that the petroglyphs constitute parts of a map. Definitive word on the meaning of Pusharo's petro glyphs must wait until further research is conducted and completed. The petroglyphs contain elements such as heart-shaped faces, some with double borders, spirals, zigzags, suns, "curlicue Xs" and others that defy verbal description.

References

*''The Petroglyphs of Pusharo: Peru's Amazonian Riddle'' by Gregory Deyermenjian. Pub. 2000, Volume 2/Number 3 issue of Athena Revie

*Rainer Hostni

*"PUSHARO: La Memoria Recobrada de los Incas" by Thierry Jamin, Pub: 2007 *"Peru's Amazonian Eden: MANU", by Kim MacQuarrie, Pub: 1992 {{coord, 12.5843, S, 71.4860, W, source:wikidata, display=title Archaeological sites in the Department of Madre de Dios Archaeological sites in Peru Prehistoric art Rock art in South America