Cave Paintings

Created over thousands of years by an unknown people, the ancient paintings are rich in artistry and metaphorical significance.

They offer several interpretations of this Great Mural rock art panel, found in Arroyo del Parral within the San Francisco Sierra. The panel composition, thematic, colour pallet, and site orientation, as well as ethnographical analogy and the contextual examination, are all important indicators for such interpretations. The motifs shown on the site’s rock art are associated with concepts that refer to creation myths; death and the cyclical renewal of life and the seasons. The central figure of the horned serpent is present throughout the American continent and prevails in the worldview of several native cultures.

Many native American worldviews are based on duality and binary oppositions, which seem to constitute the panel’s subject: the wet season generates life and, the dry season, death. Moreover, human and animal life is created, transformed and renewed. In this way, the equinox serpent of light and shadow might reflect the marking of a moment, when the dry season ends and new life begins. The horned serpents in the panel of Cueva de la Serpiente refer to the seasonal transition from abundance to scarcity, as well as to the individual’s personal transition through life, and the process of renewal and the creation of new life.

We drive in a van to Loreto and then to a skilled group of vaqueros that will take us on  mule-back and on trails far from the road, to its remotest areas where we will encounter the spectacular rock art of this region. Camping under the stars and between the silent glens, we will learn and enjoy the stories of these ancient creations.