World Heritage Identification Number: 744
World Heritage since: 1995
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Archaeological Sites
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇴 Colombia
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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Unveiling the Mysteries of the San Agustín Archaeological Park: A Journey Through Time and Culture
The San Agustín Archaeological Park, nestled in the verdant landscapes of the Huila Department in Colombia, serves as a captivating testament to the rich cultural heritage and artistic prowess of ancient civilizations. This expansive archaeological site, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, boasts the most extensive collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in all of South America.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America stands in a wild, spectacular landscape. Gods and mythical animals are skilfully represented in styles ranging from abstract to realist. These works of art display the creativity and imagination of a northern Andean culture that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The wealth and concentration of elaborate monumental burials and associated megalithic statuary from the sites in San Agustín Archaeological Park bears vivid witness to the artistic creativity and imagination of a prehispanic culture that flowered in the hostile tropical environment of the Northern Andes. It symbolizes the ability of pre-Hispanic societies of northern South America to create and express in stone and earth his unique form of social organization and worldview.
Encyclopedia Record: San Agustín Archaeological Park
The San Agustín Archaeological Park is a large archaeological area located near the town of San Agustín in Huila Department in Colombia. The park contains the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in Latin America and is considered the world's largest necropolis. Belonging to San Agustin culture, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The dates of the statues are uncertain, but they are believed to have been carved between 5–400 AD. The origin of the carvers remains a mystery, as the site is largely unexcavated.Additional Site Details
Area: Not available
Number of Components: 3
Coordinates: 1.916666667 , -76.23333333
Image
© Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
