Rock Art Network
Rock Art Network
Rock Art Network
Rock Art on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Rock art on UNESCO’s World Heritage List by Pilar Fatás Monforte, Director, Altamira National Museum and Research Centre, Spain. Designed for the Rock Art Network by Ben Dickins, Bradshaw Foundation. Source material: UNESCO World Heritage List. A list of photograph/image credits can be found at the bottom of the page.

Pilar Fatás Monforte
Directora Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira

Rock Art UNESCO World Heritage Sites
On 31 December 2019, UNESCO deemed 1,121 sites on five continents unique, irreplaceable and authentic. They are the sites included on the World Heritage List, and they all have such exceptional cultural or natural value that they transcend borders, rendering their protection an international duty.

This list, created within the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1972, is an instrument to protect sites considered to be of extraordinary cultural and/or natural value, which are therefore considered the concern of all of humanity.

Pilar Fatás Monforte
Pilar Fatás Monforte at Twyfelfontein, Namibia
© Bradshaw Foundation
It is not easy to get a site on this list; when the states submit candidates to the World Heritage Committee, they have to demonstrate their exceptional universal value based on a series of well-grounded criteria, they have to prove the authenticity and integrity of the site, and they must have taken all the measures needed to appropriately and comprehensively protect, preserve and conserve it.

Among all the World Heritage sites, almost 50 contain rock art, specifically 48 of them. In most of them, the rock art itself is the World Heritage, while in others it is one of the added values of a landscape or natural area which is also categorised as a World Heritage Site. This large number reflects the fact that rock art is the only universal art form over time and space; it is the oldest art form made from 43,000 years ago until today. This exceptional, universal feature of rock art has gradually been reflected on the List until reaching the current map, which reveals its widespread geographic distribution (above).

Chronologically, the first two rock art sites to be designated World Heritage Sites were the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley in France and the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica in Italy, both in 1979. In 1985, the Cave of Altamira in Spain (Figure 1), the Rock Art of Alta in Norway and the Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus in Libya were added. Very few were considered again until 1994: the Serra da Capivara National Park in Brazil, the Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco in Mexico (Figure 2), the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa in Peru and the Rock Carvings in Tanum in Sweden. Furthermore, other sites that contain rock art are registered on the World Heritage List of Natural Sites, such as Mesa Verde National Park in the United States, Kakadu National Park in Australia and Tassili n’Ajjer in Algeria.

The Cave of Altamira Spain
Figure 1
The Cave of Altamira in Spain
© Museo de Altamira. Photo P. Saura
In that same year, 1994, the World Heritage Committee reconsidered the list, since until then many of the categories that can be called “traditional” had expanded, like cathedrals, historical cities and national parks, while other forms of heritage had been neglected, such as prehistorical and industrial sites (just to cite two extreme examples). Furthermore, its growth had been extremely uneven in terms of its geographic distribution, as the majority of sites were in Western countries.

After realising this, the Committee presented the Global strategy for a representative, balanced and credible World Heritage List, which set new registration strategies to make the list more varied, more representative of the world’s cultural and natural richness and more geographically balanced. Since then, virtually every year, and sometimes twice a year, sites with rock art have been honoured as World Heritage.

Indeed, rock art can be found in all inhabited regions of the world: forests, steppes or deserts, mountains or valleys; in the depths of caverns or in open shelters and rock pools. All we have to do is look at landscapes like the deserts in the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves in Niger, where huge rocks are peppered with engravings of elephants, oryxes, giraffes, ostriches and gazelles; the steep cliff walls of the Grand Canyon and Chaco Canyon in the United States; and the almost glacial landscapes like Alta in Norway.

Rock Art Paintings Sierra de San Francisco Mexico
Figure 2
Sierra de San Francisco in Mexico
© Harry W. Crosby
In terms of the motifs depicted, the majority are animals, particularly the ones characteristic of the landscape or the climate where they were rendered: elands in Maloti-Drakensberg Park in South Africa and Lesotho; guanacos in Cueva de las Manos in Argentina’s Patagonia; giraffes, lions and rhinoceroses as in Twyfelfontein (Figure 3) in Namibia and Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe; horses as in the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly in Kazakhstan; camels in Wadi Rum in Jordan; and deer, bison, horses and goats as in the Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain, which together with Altamira has been a World Heritage Site since 2008.

While in Palaeolithic art, the oldest form existing, few human figures were painted or carved and the depictions are not very naturalistic, since around 10,000 years ago people have featured in rock art in hunting, gathering, grazing, dancing or fighting scenes. Magnificent examples can be found in the Rock Art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin and the Cliff of Bandiagara in Mali, as well as the vast red and black figures in Mexico’s Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco. In contrast, depictions of anatomical parts like the vulva and especially the hand, either in outline or as handprints, have been common motifs on five continents since the most ancient art; the best example is unquestionably Cueva de las Manos in Argentina.

When what is depicted has no counterpart in nature, we tend to call it a sign. They are also quite frequent and widespread throughout the world and over time; they can be simple geometric shapes like triangles, circles, rectangles or dots, or more complex shapes like spirals and labyrinths, and they can come in multiple variations and combinations. They are found in almost all European caves with Palaeolithic rock art, in Africa in Chongoni (Malawi) and Lopé-Okanda (Gabon), in the Americas in Yagul and Mitla in Mexico, in Australia in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park, and more recently the carvings in Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan.

Rock Art Twyfelfontein Namibia Africa
Figure 3
Twyfelfontein, Namibia
© Ben Dickins
While the motifs are varied, so are the techniques used to make them. The most common colours in drawings and paintings are red and black, but white tones are also frequently found in sites like the Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings in Tanzania. The carvings were made by hitting or incising the rock to create shallow or deep grooves: Côa Valley in Portugal and Siega Verde in Spain are two masterful examples of outdoor carvings. And we cannot forget geoglyphs, huge figures on the ground or mountainsides made by removing or adding rocks to make the lines of each figure, such as the emblematic Lines and Geoglyphs of Nazca and Pampas de Jumana in Peru.

However, if all rock art has one thing in common, it’s unquestionably its fragility, since it is constantly exposed to both natural and human-made factors which can degrade it. In addition to raising awareness of the need to enlist everyone in safeguarding this heritage, UNESCO also created the List of World Heritage in Danger for all sites that run the risk of disappearing or seriously deteriorating. Today, the Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus in Libya and Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves in Niger are on this list, both of them due to the social instability of the two countries.

One can only conclude that rock art is a visual book recounting our history and our way of understanding the world. Yet it’s not only about the past but is also part of our identity, of what we are today, and it’s even living culture in numerous communities. Therefore, both the oldest and the most recent rock art become meaningful in their contexts, meaning their landscape, society and culture. Understanding this should lead us to appreciate the extraordinary importance of this cultural expression and the need to preserve not only its physical integrity through protection and conservation measures but also its associated values. Those sites on the World Heritage List have already been showcased and protected, but let us not forget that there may be as many as 400,000 known sites with rock art on the planet, and they all share the values and features outlined here. Therefore, we all can and should contribute to preserving them.

Rock Art on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Rock Art UNESCO World Heritage Sites
A 31 de diciembre de 2019, 1.121 sitios de los cinco continentes están considerados por UNESCO como únicos, irremplazables y auténticos. Son los sitios incluidos en la Lista de Patrimonio Mundial, todos ellos con un valor cultural o natural tan excepcional que trasciende fronteras y por ello su protección es un deber internacional.

Esta Lista, también conocida como Patrimonio de la Humanidad, es un instrumento para la protección de los bienes considerados de gran riqueza cultural y/o natural y que, por tanto, se consideran relevantes para toda la humanidad. Esta Lista fue creada en el marco de la Convención para la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural adoptada por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura – UNESCO – en 1972.

Pilar Fatás Monforte
Pilar Fatás Monforte at Twyfelfontein, Namibia
© Bradshaw Foundation
No es tarea fácil inscribir un bien en esta Lista; los Estados en su propuesta al Comité de Patrimonio Mundial han de demostrar su Valor Universal Excepcional, basándose en una serie de criterios bien argumentados, han de constatar la autenticidad e integridad del sitio y es imprescindible que hayan adoptado las medidas necesarias para su protección, preservación y adecuada gestión integral.

Si de entre todos los sitios Patrimonio Mundial seleccionamos los que contienen arte rupestre, podemos llegar al medio centenar, 48 en concreto. En su mayoría, el arte rupestre es el bien en sí mismo Patrimonio Mundial; en otros, es uno de los valores añadidos de un paisaje o área natural con la misma consideración. Este alto número obedece al hecho de que el arte rupestre es el único hecho artístico universal en el tiempo y en el espacio; es el arte más antiguo, realizado desde hace más de 43 000 años hasta la actualidad. Esa excepcionalidad y universalidad se ha ido viendo reflejada en la Lista de forma paulatina hasta conformar el actual mapa en que se puede constatar su enorme distribución geográfica.

Cronológicamente los dos primeros sitios con arte rupestre en ser designados Patrimonio Mundial fueron los sitios prehistóricos y cuevas con pinturas del Valle del Vézère en Francia y el arte rupestre de Val Camónica de Italia, ambos en 1979. En 1985 se inscribe la cueva de Altamira de España (Figura 1), el arte rupestre de Alta en Noruega y los sitios rupestres de Tadrart Acacus en Libia. Hasta 1994 pocos más reciben esta consideración: el Parque Nacional de Sierra de Capivara en Brasil, las pinturas rupestres de la Sierra de San Francisco en México (Figura 2), las líneas y geoglifos de Nazca y Pampas de Jumana de Perú y los grabados rupestres de Tanum en Suecia. Además otros sitios que contienen arte rupestre son inscritos en la Lista de bienes naturales como el Parque Nacional de Mesa Verde en Estados Unidos, el Parque Nacional de Kakadú en Australia o Tassili N’Ajjer en Argelia.

The Cave of Altamira Spain
Figure 1
La cueva de Altamira de España
© Museo de Altamira. Photo P. Saura
En la fecha antes mencionada, 1994, el Comité de Patrimonio Mundial se replantea la Lista pues hasta ese momento había crecido mucho en categorías que podemos denominar como “tradicionales” como catedrales, ciudades históricas o parques nacionales, pero había descuidado otros patrimonios como el prehistórico o el industrial (por poner dos ejemplos extremos); y además su crecimiento había sido muy desigual en cuanto a su distribución geográfica, estando la mayoría de los sitios en países occidentales.

Tras esta constatación, el Comité presenta la “Estrategia global para una Lista del Patrimonio Mundial equilibrada, representativa y creíble” que marca nuevas estrategias de inscripción para que la Lista sea más variada, más representativa de la riqueza cultural y natural del mundo, y geográficamente equilibrada. A partir de entonces, prácticamente todos los años e incluso algunos años por partida doble, se ha otorgado la categoría de Patrimonio Mundial a sitios con arte rupestre.

Porque efectivamente encontramos arte rupestre en todas las regiones del mundo que habitamos: bosques, estepas o desiertos, montañas o valles; en la profundidad de las cavernas o en abrigos y rocas al aire libre. Basta contemplar paisajes como los desiertos en las reservas naturales del Air y del Teneré en Níger donde grandes rocas están cuajadas de grabados de elefantes, orix, jirafas, avestruces y gacelas, las escarpadas paredes del Gran Cañón o del Cañón Chaco en Estados Unidos o los paisajes casi glaciares como Alta en Noruega.

En cuanto a los temas representados, el mayor porcentaje son animales, aquellos característicos del paisaje o el clima en el que fueron realizados: elands en el Parque Maloti – Drakensberg de Sudáfrica y Lesotho, guanacos en la cueva de Las Manos en la Patagonia argentina, jirafas, leones y rinocerontes como en Twyfelfontein (Figura 3) en Namibia o Matobo en Zimbabwe, caballos como en el paisaje arqueológico de Tamgaly en Kazajastán, camellos en Uadi Rum en Jordania o ciervos, bisontes, caballos y cabras como en las cuevas con arte rupestre paleolítico del norte de España que acompañan a Altamira en su condición de Patrimonio Mundial desde 2008.

Rock Art Paintings Sierra de San Francisco Mexico
Figure 2
Las pinturas rupestres de la Sierra de San Francisco en México
© Harry W. Crosby
Si en el arte más antiguo, el paleolítico, se pintan o graban escasas figuras humanas y son poco naturalistas, a partir de hace unos 10000 años las personas protagonizan el arte rupestre en escenas de caza, recolección, pastoreo, danza o lucha, con magníficos ejemplos en el arte rupestre del arco mediterráneo español o los farallones de Bandiagara en Mali o las enormes figuras en rojo y negro de la sierra de San Francisco en México. En cambio, la representación de partes anatómicas como la vulva y sobre todo la mano, silueteada o como huella impresa son temas comunes a los cinco continentes y presentes desde el arte más antiguo; sin duda el mejor ejemplo es la cueva de Las Manos en Argentina.

Cuando lo representado no tiene un referente natural solemos llamarle signo. También es muy frecuente y amplia- mente extendida en todo el mundo y cronología su representación; pueden ser formas geométricas simples como triángulos, círculos, rectángulos o puntos, hasta más otras complejas como espirales o laberintos, y con múltiples variantes y combinaciones: los hay en casi todas las cuevas europeas con arte rupestre paleolítico, en África como en Chongoni (Malawi) o Lopé Okanda (Gabón), en América como en las mexicanas Yagul y Mitla, Australia como en el Parque Ulurú como en Kadadú y de fechas recientes como los grabados de la montaña sagrada de Sulaiman-Too en Kirguizistán.

Rock Art Twyfelfontein Namibia Africa
Figure 3
Twyfelfontein, Namibia
© Ben Dickins
Si los temas son variados también lo son las técnicas usadas para su ejecución. En dibujos y pinturas los colores habituales son el rojo y el negro, pero no son infrecuentes los tonos blancos como en los sitios de Kondoa en Tanzania. Respecto a los grabados, se realizan golpeando o incidiendo en la roca creando surcos finos o profundos: el valle del Côa en Portugal y Siega Verde en España son dos ejemplos magistrales de grabados al aire libre. Y no olvidemos los geoglifos, enormes figuras realizadas sobre el suelo o laderas de montañas, extrayendo o aportando piedras para formas las líneas de cada figura, como las emblemáticas líneas de Nazca y Pampas de Jumana en Perú.

Pero si hay algo común a todo el arte rupestre es, sin duda, su fragilidad pues está expuesto permanentemente a factores de degradación, no sólo naturales sino también los provocados por los humanos. UNESCO, además de concienciar de la necesaria implicación de todos en la salvaguarda de este patrimonio, también creó la Lista de Patrimonio Mundial en Peligro para aquellos bienes que corrieran riesgo de desaparición o grave deterioro. Hoy, Tadrart Acacus en Libia y Air y Teneré en Níger están en esta Lista, en ambos casos por la inestabilidad social de ambos países.

Solo resta concluir que el arte rupestre es un libro visual de nuestra historia, de nuestra forma de comprender el mundo, pero no es sólo historia pasada pues forma parte de nuestra identidad, de lo que hoy somos, e incluso es cultura viva entre numerosas comunidades. Así, el arte rupestre más antiguo y el más actual tiene sentido en su contexto entendido como paisaje, sociedad y cultura. Entender esto debe llevarnos a valorar la gran relevancia de esta manifestación cultural y la necesidad de preservar no solo su integridad física a través de medidas de protección y conservación, sino sus valores asociados. Aquellos sitios que están en la Lista de Patrimonio Mundial ya han sido destacados y protegidos, pero no olvidemos que los sitios con arte rupestre conocidos en el planeta pueden alcanzar la cifra de 400.000 y todos ellos comparten los valores y características aquí enunciados y por ello todos podemos y debemos contribuir a su preservación.

El Arte Rupestre en la Lista de Patrimonio Mundial de UNESCO

1
Tassili N’Ajjer
Tassili N’Ajjer Algeria Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Algeria
Date of Inscription: 1982
2
Tadrart Acacus
Tadrart Acacus Libya Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Libya
Date of Inscription: 1985
3
Cliff of Bandiagara
Cliff of Bandiagara Land of the Dogons Mali Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Mali
Date of Inscription: 1989
4
Air & Ténéré
Air Ténéré Niger Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Niger
Date of Inscription: 1991
5
Ennedi Massif
Ennedi Massif Natural & Cultural Landscape Chad Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Chad
Date of Inscription: 2016
6
Lopé-Okanda
Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda Gabon Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Gabon
Date of Inscription: 2007
7
Kondoa
Kondoa Tanzania Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Tanzania
Date of Inscription: 2006
8
Chongoni
Chongoni Malawi Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Malawi
Date of Inscription: 2006
9
Twyfelfontein
Twyfelfontein Namibia Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Namibia
Date of Inscription: 2007
10
Tsodilo
Tsodilo Botswana Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Botswana
Date of Inscription: 2001
11
Matobo Hills
Matobo Hills Zimbabwe Africa  Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Zimbabwe
Date of Inscription: 2003
12
Mapungubwe
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape South Africa Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: South Africa
Date of Inscription: 2003
13
Maloti-Drakensberg Park
Maloti-Drakensberg Park South Africa Lesotho Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: S Africa/Lesotho
Date of Inscription: 2000
14
Risco Caido
Chiribiquete National Park The Maloca of the Jaguar Colombia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Spain
Date of Inscription: 2019
15
Côa Valley & Siega Verde
Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley Portugal Siega Verde Spain Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Portugal/Spain
Date of Inscription: 1998/2010
16
Cave of Altamira
Cave of Altamira Spain La cueva de Altamira y el arte rupestre paleolítico del norte de España Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Spain
Date of Inscription: 1998/2010
17
Iberian Mediterranean Basin
Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula Spain Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Spain
Date of Inscription: 1998
18
Vézère
Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley France Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: France
Date of Inscription: 1979
19
Chauvet
Chauvet Cave France Ardèche Aurignacian Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: France
Date of Inscription: 2014
20
Valcamonica
Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula Italy Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Italy
Date of Inscription: 1979
21
Tanum
Rock Carvings in Tanum Sweden Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Sweden
Date of Inscription: 1994
22
Alta
Rock art of Alta Norway Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Norway
Date of Inscription: 1985
23
Wadi Rum
Tanzania Jordan Asia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Jordan
Date of Inscription: 2011
24
Hail Region
Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Saudi Arabia
Date of Inscription: 2015
25
Gobustan
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Azerbaijan Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Azerbaijan
Date of Inscription: 2007
26
Sulaiman
Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain Kyrgyzstan Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Kyrgyzstan
Date of Inscription: 2009
27
Tamgaly
Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly Kazakhstan Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Kazakhstan
Date of Inscription: 2004
28
Altai
Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai Mongolia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Mongolia
Date of Inscription: 2011
29
Bhimbetka
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka India Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: India
Date of Inscription: 2003
30
Zuojiang Huashan
Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape China Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: China
Date of Inscription: 2016
31
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon Republic of Palau Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Republic of Palau
Date of Inscription: 2012
32
Kakadu
Kakadu National Park Australia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Australia
Date of Inscription: 1981, 1987 & 1992
33
Uluru-Kata Tjuta
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Australia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Australia
Date of Inscription: 1987 & 1994
34
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
Chiribiquete National Park The Maloca of the Jaguar Colombia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Canada
Date of Inscription: 2019
35
Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde National Park United States America USA Colorado Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: United States
Date of Inscription: 1978
36
Chaco Culture
Chaco Culture National Historical Park United States America USA Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: United States
Date of Inscription: 1987
37
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park America USA Arizona Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: United States
Date of Inscription: 1979
38
Baja California
Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco America California Mexico Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Mexico
Date of Inscription: 1993
39
Yagul & Mitla Caves
Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca Mexico Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Mexico
Date of Inscription: 2010
40
San Agustín Colombia
San Agustín Archaeological Park, Huila Department of Colombia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Colombia
Date of Inscription: 1995
41
Chiribiquete
Chiribiquete National Park The Maloca of the Jaguar Colombia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Colombia
Date of Inscription: 2018
42
Sierra de Capivara
Serra da Capivara National Park Brazil Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Brazil
Date of Inscription: 1991
43
Nasca & Palpa
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa Peru Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Peru
Date of Inscription: 1994
44
Fuerte de Samaipata
Fuerte de Samaipata Bolivia Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Bolivia
Date of Inscription: 1998
45
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Quebrada de Humahuaca Argentina Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Argentina
Date of Inscription: 2003
46
Ischigualasto/Talampaya
Ischigualasto Talampaya Natural Parks Argentina Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Argentina
Date of Inscription: 2000
47
Cueva de las Manos
Cueva de las Manos Río Pinturass Argentina Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Argentina
Date of Inscription: 1999
48
Rapa Nui
Easter Island Rapa Nui Rock Art Network Cave Paintings UNESCO World Heritage List Bradshaw Foundation Getty Conservation Institute
Location: Chile
Date of Inscription: 1995
Photograph Credits
1 © David Coulson/TARA • 2 © David Coulson/TARA • 3 © APSAIDAL • 4 © David Coulson /TARA • 5 © David Coulson /TARA • 6 © David Coulson/TARA • 7 © Ben Smith/RARI • 8 © David Coulson/TARA • 9 © Ben Dickins/Bradshaw Foundation • 10 © David Coulson/TARA • 11 © David Coulson/TARA • 12 © Ben Smith/RARI • 13 © Peter Robinson/Bradshaw Foundation • 14 © Pilar Fatás • 15 © Pilar Fatás • 16 © Museo de Altamira/P. Saura • 17 © CARP • 18 © CNP/ Jean Michel Geneste • 19 © Jean Clottes • 20 © Pilar Fatás • 21 © Gerhard Milstreu / Tanum Rock Art Museum • 22 © Karin Tansem, VAM • 23 © Jean Housen (free commons) • 24 © Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities • 25 © CARP • 26 Rocks at the top of Sulayman Mountain in Osh, Kyrgyzstan © A.Savin Wikimedia Commons FAL No changes made • 27 Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly © Ron Van Oers, UNESCO Wikipedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO No changes made •  28 © The Altai Project • 29 © Meenakshi Dubey-Pathak • 30 © Qian Gao • 31 © Luka Peternel Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 No changes made • 32 © Nicholas Hall • 33 © Tourism Australia • 34 Áísínai'pi National Historic Site of Canada - rock carvings © Matthias Süßen CC BY-SA 3.0 No changes made • 35 Petroglyph Point panel, Mesa Verde, CO. © Peter Faris, Rock Art Blog • 36 © Wvbailey Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license No changes made • 37 © Aron Mazel • 38 © Peter Robinson/Bradshaw Foundation • 39 © David Whitley • 40 © Carlos A. Rodríguez M. Gipri, Colombia • 41 Judith Trujillo Téllez, Investigador Gipri, Colombia • 42 © Pilar Fatás • 43 © Diego Delso WikiPedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 No changes made • 44 Fuerte de Samaipata © Jhonsys Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 No changes made • 45 © Isabel Hernández Llosas • 46 © INAPL Archives • 47 © Michael Turtle • 48 © Jo Anne Van Tilburg

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