Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco
Encyclopedia
The Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco is the name of the prehistoric rock art pictographs found in the Sierra de San Francisco
region of Baja California Sur
, Mexico
.
or Guachimis in the Baja California peninsula. Little is known about this group, apart from the fact that they came from further north. These paintings on the roofs of rock shelters and on the walls of Sierra de San Francisco were first discovered by the jesuit Francisco Javier in the eighteenth century.
According to old beliefs, the paintings were drawn by a race of giants, this is supported by the size of some human figures which are two meters tall. They are full of a magic-religious content. Other motifs include weapons and animal species such as rabbit, puma, lynx, deer, wild goat/sheep, whale, turtle, tuna, sardine, octopus, eagle and pelican; there are also abstract elements of various forms. Perhaps they are related to the cultural groups of nomadic hunters from northern Mexico and southern United States
before the conquest of America, although they do not show significant relation to the art of those groups. The paintings vary in age from 1100 BC
to AD 1300.
within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve
in the state of Baja California Sur in Northern Mexico
. Access to the paintings is difficult due to the isolation of the place which has prevented them from being victims of vandalism.
art in the Baja California Peninsula
. It is of exceptional quality at both national and international scale, for its high quality, its extent, the variety and originality of human and animal representations, its remarkable colors, and its excellent state of preservation. The rock paintings of Sierra de San Francisco were nominated in 1989 and became a World Heritage Site in 1993.
Sierra de San Francisco
The Sierra de San Francisco is a mountain range in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Within these mountains is found a prehistoric rock art assembly known as the Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco. A variety of flora and fauna are found in the Sierra de San Francisco. range; a notable tree found...
region of Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
History
They are representations of what was once the life of the CochimiCochimi
The Cochimí are the aboriginal inhabitants of the central part of the Baja California peninsula, from El Rosario in the north to San Javier in the south....
or Guachimis in the Baja California peninsula. Little is known about this group, apart from the fact that they came from further north. These paintings on the roofs of rock shelters and on the walls of Sierra de San Francisco were first discovered by the jesuit Francisco Javier in the eighteenth century.
According to old beliefs, the paintings were drawn by a race of giants, this is supported by the size of some human figures which are two meters tall. They are full of a magic-religious content. Other motifs include weapons and animal species such as rabbit, puma, lynx, deer, wild goat/sheep, whale, turtle, tuna, sardine, octopus, eagle and pelican; there are also abstract elements of various forms. Perhaps they are related to the cultural groups of nomadic hunters from northern Mexico and southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before the conquest of America, although they do not show significant relation to the art of those groups. The paintings vary in age from 1100 BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
to AD 1300.
Geography
The property is made up by around 250 sites which are located in the municipality of MulegeMulegé
Mulegé is an oasis town in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, situated at the mouth of the Río de Santa Rosalía. It is the fourth-largest community in Mulegé Municipality...
within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
The El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, created in 1988, is located in Mulegé Municipality in northern Baja California Sur, at the center of the Baja California Peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez...
in the state of Baja California Sur in Northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Access to the paintings is difficult due to the isolation of the place which has prevented them from being victims of vandalism.
Landmark
The area has the most important concentration of Pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
art in the Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
. It is of exceptional quality at both national and international scale, for its high quality, its extent, the variety and originality of human and animal representations, its remarkable colors, and its excellent state of preservation. The rock paintings of Sierra de San Francisco were nominated in 1989 and became a World Heritage Site in 1993.