San Agustín Archaeological Park


World Heritage Identification Number: 744

World Heritage since: 1995

Category: Cultural Heritage

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.

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.

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Additional Site Details

Area: Not available

UNESCO Criteria: (iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: 1.916666667 , -76.23333333

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Image of San Agustín Archaeological Park

© Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

National Archeological Park of Tierradentro
77 km — Colombia
Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia
334 km — Colombia
City of Quito
347 km — Ecuador
Chiribiquete National Park – “The Maloca of the Jaguar”
412 km — Colombia
Sangay National Park
478 km — Ecuador

Country Information: Colombia

Flag of Colombia

Official Name: Republic of Colombia

Capital: Bogotá

Continent: Americas

Population (2024): 52,886,363

Population (2023): 52,321,152

Population (2022): 51,737,944

Land Area: 1,109,500 sq km

Currency: Colombian peso (COP)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page San Agustín Archaeological Park are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article San Agustín Archaeological Park, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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