A newly discovered petroglyph in the municipality of Cedeño Municipality is being hailed as one of the oldest known rock art records in Venezuela, with experts estimating the engravings to be between 4,000 and 8,000 years old.
The find was announced by Mayor Daniel Monteverde, who, together with a commission from the National Land Institute, confirmed the discovery on January 30. The engraved stone features spirals, concentric circles, and anthropomorphic figures believed to reflect the cosmology of the region’s ancestral inhabitants.
The petroglyph was located in the highlands of the Quebrada Seca community, 3.5 kilometres from the town of San Félix, at an elevation of 647 meters above sea level. Authorities describe the discovery as a significant contribution to both national heritage and global archaeological research.
Cultural Legacy of the Chaima and Kariña
Cedeño, whose municipal capital is Caicara de Maturín, is widely regarded as the “petroglyph capital” of Monagas state due to the extensive legacy of the Chaima and Kariña peoples. The newly uncovered engravings are thought to symbolise connections to the sun, the water cycle, and ancestral spirits—core elements of indigenous worldviews.
Historian Luis Peñalver described the discovery as a milestone for Monagas. He emphasised that the petroglyph not only confirms the presence of prehistoric rock art in the municipality but may also represent one of the oldest archaeological records in eastern Venezuela.
“These engravings demonstrate that Cedeño was a crucial transit and settlement corridor in the region,” Peñalver stated.
Venezuela’s Rock Art Tradition
According to Peñalver, Venezuela’s indigenous artistic expressions include petroglyphs (rock engravings), cave paintings, megalithic complexes, mythical stones or hills, carved depressions known as troughs, lithic grinders, micropetroglyphs, and geoglyphs.
Based on stylistic and relative chronological analysis, many of these artistic manifestations are believed to date between 6000 and 1700 BC, spanning the Paleoindian and Mesoindian periods.
Engraving Techniques Identified
Archaeologists recognise four principal techniques in Venezuelan petroglyphs:
- Linear low relief, characterised by shallow grooves averaging 1.24 cm in depth and 1.71 cm in width.
- Planar low relief, where figures are fully excavated with varying depths.
- Linear high relief, achieved by carving away the surrounding stone to elevate the line.
- Planar high relief, in which the entire figure stands raised above the stone surface.
The Quebrada Seca petroglyph is an example of the linear low-relief technique. Tools likely included abrasive stones combined with sand and water, as well as stone chisels and hammers. In some cases, pigments have been detected within the grooves.
Experts note that stylistic patterns help identify cultural areas and trace migratory routes and settlement patterns of early inhabitants.
Preservation and Sustainable Tourism
Authorities warn that rock art sites are vulnerable to both natural erosion and human interference. Evidence of deterioration has already been observed in other archaeological locations across the state.
Local officials have begun coordinating with the Institute of Cultural Heritage to conduct scientific studies and accurately date the engravings. The Tourism Directorate has also initiated geolocation and safeguarding protocols as part of a broader plan to develop an archaeological route that promotes sustainable tourism while preserving the monument’s integrity.
“The Quebrada Seca petroglyph will eventually tell its story,” Peñalver remarked, underscoring the urgency of systematic fieldwork to protect this irreplaceable cultural legacy.
The discovery further strengthens Monagas’ reputation as a key archaeological region in Venezuela and opens new avenues for research into the ancient societies that once inhabited its landscapes.
Sources : National Land Institute
