Chile's rock art llamas divulge secrets of ancient desert culture
BY ANA FERNANDEZ (AFP) 1 HOUR AGO
Open air rock paintings in the world's driest desert pay testament to the importance of the llama to millennia-old cultures that traversed the inhospitable terrain.
Conservationists working in Chile's Atacama Desert want UNESCO to recognize the Taira Valley drawings as a heritage site so they can develop sustainable tourism in the region.
Taira is "a celebration of life," said archeologist Jose Bereguer, describing the site as "the most complex in South America" because of its astronomical importance as well as the significance to local shepherds.
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First rediscovered by Swedish archeologist Stig Ryden in 1944, the Taira rock art is between 2,400 and 2,800 years old.
More:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/chile-s-rock-art-llamas-divulge-secrets-of-ancient-desert-culture/article/528349
