Tunnels of San Antonio
Encyclopedia
The tunnels of San Antonio are located in the province of Luya
, Peru
. They are rocky formations like natural bridges placed over San Antonio river
.
An archaeological cave painting
was documented in 1986 in the place of San Antonio (Luya
), by one of the Antisuyo expeditions organized by the Amazon Archaeology Institute. It is constituted in the first sample of authentic cave painting
detected in the Amazonian Andes and, in general, in the Peru
vian mountain range
.
It is not a question, in effect, of a rock painting
but of a painting
executed on a wall
. Also its lines are very different from the typical ones used by rock art
; what can be realized by the high grade of naturalism
with which the personages' faces were painted.
The cave painting
of San Antonio was not seen by the experts who went along formerly along the place, as Langlois or the archaeologists Reichlen. This is not only because they passed through San Antonio hurriedly, but because all the paintings
are only perceptible clearly at certain hours of the day, when the sunlight does not illuminate them directly. In spite of everything, the San Antonio's cave painting
s, although they remained completely undiscovered, were already known since older times by the people from this region; the first references were received by Carlos Torres Mas and Carlos Gates.
Even without them, the Antisuyo expedition/86 would have stumbled over the mural
, because they had programmed a systematical prospect of San Antonio and an execution of topographic raisings in this important architectural set. The mural
was investigated thoroughly: traced, photographed and documented in video, in 1986 and then in 1987 by the same expedition.
San Antonio's cave painting
s is affected by time. Nevertheless, it is possible to perceive the main part of the represented scene, as well as also the details of the principal images that integrate it. The scene is painted inside a curved wall
. The lines were achieved basically with ochre
–red
, applied on a rendered
layer, white
, which covers the stucco
of the carefully smoothed yellow
ish clay
.
The painted wall
is a part of what, perhaps from its origin was only a wall
of ceremonial character in the shape of an semicircle
. Judging by the still preserved sector, this wall reached more than 4,80 m high and had more than 9,60 m long. The painting
covers the whole wall
horizontally in its lower sector. This way, the personages move across a surface of 9,60 m. They have a regular height: between 1,10 and 1,40 m. The wall is opened opposite the caves of existing sarcofagi
in the hill
that raises to the other side of the gorge, some of these are still untouched by the man due to the difficulty of the access that the ravine
presents. It is considered that it is not fortuitous the fact that the wall
has been painted opposite the stack
in which the sarcofagi
were located.
The painting
seems to represent a ritual or magic dance
staged by five mixed couples. Against this assumption, it might be argued that the personages do not show any movement. They appear to be stood up and in front of each other. But it is symptomatic that the couples are holding hands.
In one of the ends of the described scene, there are, additionally, a conglomerate of figures that are projected upward by more than 2 m. Its precarious state of conservation
prevents a global identification of the represented motives. It is only possible to realize, clearly, some of the details. This sector does not present the arranging in which the personages are executed. And although it is less spoilt, it conserve, nevertheless, parts in which color has scarcely suffered the pass of time.
Men differ because their pompous hairdo
, imitating apparently the horn
of cervids
. Some of the women exhibit a type of hairstyle
that reminds the one used by some feminine figures presented in Pajatén
: composed by two oblique segments that the author has interpreted as symbolic wing
s. In the generality of the figures, the bodies
and face
s treatment is simple, with a tendency to the schematic
.
Men's face
, in a special way the one that corresponds to that of the second couple counting from the left side, shows a high grade of improving speaking of its execution due to the realism
and the expressiveness that he exhibits. In this case, the artist
presented the personage's face
looking lightly to one side, but with the frontal eye
s. It's a whole artistic prowess, if it is not the result of purely chance lines. The personage 's visage
produces stupor
and astonishment in whom they contemplate it, because of the pupil
s that look fixedly like auscultating the mental intimacies of the spectator.
Luya Province
Luya is located in the south and west part of the department of Amazonas in Peru. Its territory, which partly is ceja de selva, is crossed by branches of the Cordillera Central and the Oriental of the Andes, being rasped by deep streams, high pampas and snowed summit...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. They are rocky formations like natural bridges placed over San Antonio river
San Antonio River (Peru)
The San Antonio River is a river in Peru. It is the principal source that supplies the hydroelectric company of the Rodríguez de Mendoza Province....
.
An archaeological cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
was documented in 1986 in the place of San Antonio (Luya
Luya Province
Luya is located in the south and west part of the department of Amazonas in Peru. Its territory, which partly is ceja de selva, is crossed by branches of the Cordillera Central and the Oriental of the Andes, being rasped by deep streams, high pampas and snowed summit...
), by one of the Antisuyo expeditions organized by the Amazon Archaeology Institute. It is constituted in the first sample of authentic cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
detected in the Amazonian Andes and, in general, in the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
.
It is not a question, in effect, of a rock painting
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
but of a painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
executed on a wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
. Also its lines are very different from the typical ones used by rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
; what can be realized by the high grade of naturalism
Naturalism (art)
Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting. The Realism movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to the stylized and idealized depictions of subjects in Romanticism, but many painters have adopted a similar approach over the centuries...
with which the personages' faces were painted.
The cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
of San Antonio was not seen by the experts who went along formerly along the place, as Langlois or the archaeologists Reichlen. This is not only because they passed through San Antonio hurriedly, but because all the paintings
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
are only perceptible clearly at certain hours of the day, when the sunlight does not illuminate them directly. In spite of everything, the San Antonio's cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
s, although they remained completely undiscovered, were already known since older times by the people from this region; the first references were received by Carlos Torres Mas and Carlos Gates.
Even without them, the Antisuyo expedition/86 would have stumbled over the mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
, because they had programmed a systematical prospect of San Antonio and an execution of topographic raisings in this important architectural set. The mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
was investigated thoroughly: traced, photographed and documented in video, in 1986 and then in 1987 by the same expedition.
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
s is affected by time. Nevertheless, it is possible to perceive the main part of the represented scene, as well as also the details of the principal images that integrate it. The scene is painted inside a curved wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
. The lines were achieved basically with ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
–red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
, applied on a rendered
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
layer, white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, which covers the stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
of the carefully smoothed yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
ish clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
.
The painted wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
is a part of what, perhaps from its origin was only a wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
of ceremonial character in the shape of an semicircle
Semicircle
In mathematics , a semicircle is a two-dimensional geometric shape that forms half of a circle. Being half of a circle's 360°, the arc of a semicircle always measures 180° or a half turn...
. Judging by the still preserved sector, this wall reached more than 4,80 m high and had more than 9,60 m long. The painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
covers the whole wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
horizontally in its lower sector. This way, the personages move across a surface of 9,60 m. They have a regular height: between 1,10 and 1,40 m. The wall is opened opposite the caves of existing sarcofagi
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
in the hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
that raises to the other side of the gorge, some of these are still untouched by the man due to the difficulty of the access that the ravine
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
presents. It is considered that it is not fortuitous the fact that the wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
has been painted opposite the stack
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
in which the sarcofagi
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
were located.
The painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
seems to represent a ritual or magic dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
staged by five mixed couples. Against this assumption, it might be argued that the personages do not show any movement. They appear to be stood up and in front of each other. But it is symptomatic that the couples are holding hands.
In one of the ends of the described scene, there are, additionally, a conglomerate of figures that are projected upward by more than 2 m. Its precarious state of conservation
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
prevents a global identification of the represented motives. It is only possible to realize, clearly, some of the details. This sector does not present the arranging in which the personages are executed. And although it is less spoilt, it conserve, nevertheless, parts in which color has scarcely suffered the pass of time.
Men differ because their pompous hairdo
Hairstyle
A hairstyle, hairdo, or haircut refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.-History of...
, imitating apparently the horn
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
of cervids
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. Some of the women exhibit a type of hairstyle
Hairstyle
A hairstyle, hairdo, or haircut refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.-History of...
that reminds the one used by some feminine figures presented in Pajatén
Gran Pajáten
Gran Pajatén is an archaeological site located in the Andean cloud forests of Peru, on the border of the La Libertad region and the San Martín region, between the Marañon and Huallaga rivers. The archaeological site lies in the Rio Abiseo National Park, which was established in 1983. The park was...
: composed by two oblique segments that the author has interpreted as symbolic wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s. In the generality of the figures, the bodies
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
and face
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...
s treatment is simple, with a tendency to the schematic
Schematic
A schematic diagram represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension...
.
Men's face
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...
, in a special way the one that corresponds to that of the second couple counting from the left side, shows a high grade of improving speaking of its execution due to the realism
Realism (visual arts)
Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see. The term is used in different senses in art history; it may mean the same as illusionism, the representation of subjects with visual mimesis or verisimilitude, or may mean an emphasis on the actuality of...
and the expressiveness that he exhibits. In this case, the artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
presented the personage's face
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...
looking lightly to one side, but with the frontal eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
s. It's a whole artistic prowess, if it is not the result of purely chance lines. The personage 's visage
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...
produces stupor
Stupor
Stupor is the lack of critical cognitive function and level of consciousness wherein a sufferer is almost entirely unresponsive and only responds to base stimuli such as pain. This is often mistaken for delirium and treated with Haldol and or other anti-psychotic drugs...
and astonishment in whom they contemplate it, because of the pupil
Pupil
The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
s that look fixedly like auscultating the mental intimacies of the spectator.