The Canaima Complex: Uncovering New Rock Art Sites and Cultural Insights in Canaima National Park, Venezuela

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Value of Rock Art: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Current Rock Art Documentation, Research, and Analysis, Part I" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study reveals the discovery of previously unknown rock art sites in Canaima National Park, southeastern Venezuela, some of which are associated with lithic artifacts, and examines their cultural significance. The research places these findings in context by comparing them with existing rock art and lithic tools from Upuigma-tepui, as well as from the Guiana Shield, Orinoco Basin, and northern Amazonia, to provide insights into the cultural groups that once inhabited the region. The newly identified pictograms are found on a boulder deep within a dense forest at the slopes of the Kusari-tepui and on a cliff overlooking Canaima village, while the petroglyphs are located at the Ariwe-merú rapids of the Caroní River and along the Carrao River. Preliminary analysis suggests a possible connection between these new pictograms and lithic artifacts with those discovered in a rock shelter at Upuigma-tepui, 160 km southeast of Canaima. Additionally,

stylistic analysis reveals similarities with sites and lithic production along the Caroní River, the Guianas, and northeastern Brazil. Given their cultural importance, this study recommends further research, dissemination, and the conservation of these rock art sites within Canaima National Park, advocating for their recognition as world heritage sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• The Value of Rock Art: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Current Rock Art Documentation, Research, and Analysis, Part I

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52455